The Grapes of Wrath (Centennial Edition)

The Grapes of Wrath (Centennial Edition)
by John Steinbeck

The Grapes of Wrath (Centennial Edition)
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Book Summary Information

Author: John Steinbeck
Edition: Paperback
Published: 2002-01-08
ISBN: 0142000663
Number of pages: 464
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)

Book Reviews of The Grapes of Wrath (Centennial Edition)

Book Review: The best american novel ever written?
Summary: 5 Stars

As a former resident of California, I was often shocked on how the locals treated the Mexicans. After working all day, some were paid virtually nothing, and some were actually paid nothing. And because they couldn't complain to the government they were just "out of luck." This book addresses that very issue, if only dealing with the white "oakies." The point of this novel makes about migrant workers is just as valid today as it was 80 whatever years ago.
Steinbecks writing is occasionally criticized, but I cannot figure out why. Steinbeck takes a quasi-journalistic approach to his writing, flawlessly fusing fiction and reporting throughout the writing. This is a book that is simultaneously interesting and informative. Its like a newspaper thats also entertaining. The writing is very fluid, and despite the novels length (my edition was over 600 pgs) its actually not a boring, slow read. The characters are well developed and interesting, if in some cases a tad unbelievable.
A great novel. The only people that probably object are middle and upper class conservatives that can't accept that anyone should be able to speak out against those less fortunate than themselves

Summary of The Grapes of Wrath (Centennial Edition)

When The Grapes of Wrath was published in 1939, America, still recovering from the Great Depression, came face to face with itself in a startling, lyrical way. John Steinbeck gathered the country's recent shames and devastations--the Hoovervilles, the desperate, dirty children, the dissolution of kin, the oppressive labor conditions--in the Joad family. Then he set them down on a westward-running road, local dialect and all, for the world to acknowledge. For this marvel of observation and perception, he won the Pulitzer in 1940.

The prize must have come, at least in part, because alongside the poverty and dispossession, Steinbeck chronicled the Joads' refusal, even inability, to let go of their faltering but unmistakable hold on human dignity. Witnessing their degeneration from Oklahoma farmers to a diminished band of migrant workers is nothing short of crushing. The Joads lose family members to death and cowardice as they go, and are challenged by everything from weather to the authorities to the California locals themselves. As Tom Joad puts it: "They're a-workin' away at our spirits. They're a tryin' to make us cringe an' crawl like a whipped bitch. They tryin' to break us. Why, Jesus Christ, Ma, they comes a time when the on'y way a fella can keep his decency is by takin' a sock at a cop. They're workin' on our decency."

The point, though, is that decency remains intact, if somewhat battle-scarred, and this, as much as the depression and the plight of the "Okies," is a part of American history. When the California of their dreams proves to be less than edenic, Ma tells Tom: "You got to have patience. Why, Tom--us people will go on livin' when all them people is gone. Why, Tom, we're the people that live. They ain't gonna wipe us out. Why, we're the people--we go on." It's almost as if she's talking about the very novel she inhabits, for Steinbeck's characters, more than most literary creations, do go on. They continue, now as much as ever, to illuminate and humanize an era for generations of readers who, thankfully, have no experiential point of reference for understanding the depression. The book's final, haunting image of Rose of Sharon--Rosasharn, as they call her--the eldest Joad daughter, forcing the milk intended for her stillborn baby onto a starving stranger, is a lesson on the grandest scale. "'You got to,'" she says, simply. And so do we all. --Melanie Rehak


MAXnotes offer a fresh look at masterpieces of literature, presented in a lively and interesting fashion. Written by literary experts who currently teach the subject, MAXnotes will enhance your understanding and enjoyment of the work. MAXnotes are designed to stimulate independ ent thought about the literary work by raising various issues and thought-provoking ideas and questions. MAXnotes cover the essentials of what one should know about each work, including an overall summary, character lists, an explanation and discussion of the plot, the work's historical context, illustrations to convey the mood of the work, and a biography of the author. Each chapter is individually summarized and analyzed, and has study questions and answers.

Steinbeck, John Books

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