Author: John Steinbeck
Genre: Modern Classic
ISBN: 978-0241980347
Publisher: Penguin
Published: 1939
Publisher’s Description: 'To the red country and part of the gray country of Oklahoma, the last rains came gently, and they did not cut the scarred earth.'
Drought and economic depression are driving thousands from Oklahoma. As their land becomes just another strip in the dust bowl, the Joads, a family of sharecroppers, decide they have no choice but to follow. They head west, towards California, where they hope to find work and a future for their family. But while the journey to this promised land will take its inevitable toll, there remains uncertainty about what awaits their arrival . . .
Literary Atelier Review: This was a re-read for me as I studied The Grapes of Wrath way back at the turn of the new millennium as part of my A-Level in English Literature. Back then while I loved the literary style of Steinbeck I am not entirely sure I fully understood this novel as it was intended. This was not the fault of my very enthusiastic teachers but rather, I suspect, because I was too young and too green, not yet added enough to comprehend what Steinbeck was trying to tell us.
The Grapes of Wrath is a novel rich with biblical references, with political anger and with complex, flawed, three dimensional characters. As the Joad's travel from Oklahoma to California in the hope of a better life they come across obstacles, disappointments, loss, and redemption. The nods to Exodus are clear throughout as is Steinbeck's anger about the state of the world he is writing about. What is wondrous is the literary way in which he brings his anger to the page. I personally adore the intercalary chapters in this novel the most, as they illuminate more of the world through which we are travelling. My favourite of these is Chapter Seven set in the secondhand car showroom. This small chapter really highlights the genius of Steinbeck's writing and storytelling.
I came to reread this novel in part because I had tickets to see the 2024 National Theatre production. The experience of the play was definitely hugely enhanced by rereading the book first and it also meant I was the clever clogs during the interval and after the performance who could answer the questions people had about some of the play's motifs.