The Grapes of Wrath

Brittney Hickman

The Grapes of Wrath is a classic novel published in 1939 and written by John Steinbeck. It is a story of greed, poverty, and a family that is torn apart. The Joad family lived in Oklahoma before they are forced from their homes/farmlands by the banks. During the great depression, the farmlands in that area became unprofitable due to years of over farming. The land had been sucked dry of all nutrients and nothing would grow. Farmers and families starve on their lands while the banks are pressured by the eastern companies to make money. In order to make the land profitable again, the banks flatten the farmer’s houses and give them handbills that advertise work picking grapes in California. But the desprate families were mislead, there was not enough work in California. Hundreds of thousands of people move there because they are kicked out of their homes. With no other choice the families desert their homes to move west, where the wages are low and the people are cruel.

This book is enjoyable because when reading the book you become part of the Joad family, wanting to learn more about the characters and wonder what is going to happen next. But while reading the story you learn much about America at that time. Even though the Joad family is fictional, the hardships endured actually happened to people who moved to California with the hope to pick grapes.

I recommend The Grapes of Wrath because it is fun to read and it makes you think about what it was like to be an “Okie” in California. Most starved, and anyone who demanded fair wages ended up as a “vagrant found dead” in the newspaper. Everywhere they turned they were underpaid, for work and items they sold, too little to feed a family. Many children died, it was impossible for parents to support them. Anyone who reads for entertainment would enjoy this fascinating tale.