For the first entry of 2023, I decided to go with an American classic, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. Many have been forced to read this book either in high school or in college (for some it is both). I remember reading it in high school and actually enjoying it, and I know this can be difficult to do when someone is forced to read something. I felt like it was time to revisit the book, and see if any of my feelings about it had changed.
The Situation: When Tom Joad is released from prison, he expects to go back to his family home in Sallisaw, Oklahoma and restart his life. However, what he finds is a home that has been abandoned and nearly knocked over. He learns that his family has had to relocate to his Uncle's house as they prepare to make the long journey west to California. With the Oklahoma farm land no longer producing, the banks have taken back the properties, and the only hope for many families is in the promise of work out West. After purchasing a truck (one that is not at all new...but it runs), the 13-person party heads out, not knowing what is to come.
The Problem: The Joads are not the only family taking their chances by leaving their home in hopes of building a new life in California. The highway is full of cars in various states of repair all headed in the same direction. With the sudden influx of people from Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Arkansas, and other states, the attitudes of many California residents has become one of resentment, anger, and even fear. There are simply too many people looking for the same thing, and not enough work to go around. And before the Joads haven even reached the California state line, they have experienced death, financial setbacks, discrimination, and have been told that their long and hard journey will not be worth it.
Genre, Themes, History: This novel is set during the Dust Bowl of the Great Depression, and was originally released in 1940. It follows the journey of the Joad family as they travel from Oklahoma to California, and after they reach it and begin working in orchards and cotton fields. Originally, there are 13 members in the group (Tom, Ma, Pa, Uncle John, Grampa, Granma, Noah, Rose of Sharon, Al, Ruthie, Winfield, Connie, and Casy), all doing their best to fit in the overburdened truck. With so many people, the group dynamic is straightforward, while also being complex. Everyone has their place, but roles are shifted - sometimes out of necessity, and sometimes due to conflict and tension - and ultimately, everyone does what they believe they have to do. The Joad family represents many families from that time who faced incredible obstacles during a time of scarcity.
My Verdict: I wondered if I was going to feel the same way about this book as I did in high school, and turns out, it still holds up for me. Sure, the long trek west is tedious and difficult and tiresome (as are some of the characters) before it even begins, and the story does not end when the Joad family reaches California. This book is about both the journey and the destination, with the former being only a taste of the hardship that is to come in the latter. And when the book is not focused only on the Joads, the reader is given a look at the general state of things, and how they got that way. All of it works together to present a story that I still find more fascinating than anything, and I will continue to recommend it to readers of all ages.
Favorite Moment: Jim Casy is a former preacher who struggles to find his place among this family that has agreed to let him come with them. But he manages to come through for them after Tom loses his temper, and proves to be more useful than he realized he could be.
Favorite Character: The reader may not ever get to know Ma's real first name, but she is arguably the one holding everyone together. She even stands up against her husband when she has to, not much caring about the consequences, and does what she has to do.
Recommended Reading: For another book by Steinbeck, I recommend East of Eden. But Kristin Hannah's The Four Winds is a historical fiction novel also set during the Great Depression, and follows a single mother as she makes the difficult journey West.
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