World Famous Comics: The Grapes of Wrath (Centennial Edition)
The Grapes of Wrath (Centennial Edition)
By: John Steinbeck Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Penguin (Non-Classics) Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 464 Publication Date: January 08, 2002 Release Date: January 03, 2002
Amazon.com: 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
Book Description: 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.
The best american novel ever written? 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
Years later, this is still my favorite American novel One of the greatest American novels written. Period. I read it about three years ago and whenever I see this book in stores the feelings and images I had while reading Grapes come flooding back to me. Read this book! You may, like me, be slightly disappointed with the ending, but you will not be disappointed that you took the time to read Grapes of Wrath.
My favorite book of all time! Wonderfully written...powerfully gripping...100% the best of Steinbeck. I have only recently started reading the "classics" and this was the best by far. After finishing "The Grapes of Wrath," "Of Mice and Men" and now reading "East of Eden," I have to say that Steinbeck is arguably the best American lit writer ever published.
A reunion with old friends I read Grapes of Wrath in my late teens, and just didn't get what all of the fanfare was about. I liked the characters, but I didn't fully appreciate what Steinbeck was trying to do.
Flash forward a few decades -- I picked it up again a couple of weeks ago, and read it in two sittings. I was completely captivated. Not only did the Joads come to life, but their circumstances, their defeats and their successes, resonated with realism. Rather than being relegated to the dusty "classics" shelf, this book is more relevant today. One can easily replace the Joads with immigrant farm workers in our current society, and get a glimpse of exactly how things don't change. Steinbeck nailed human frailty and bigotry, as well as the largess of the human spirit.
Read this book. Even if you walk away thinking, "What a bunch of lefty crud!" it will be worth your while. The story is heart-warming (and sometimes heartrending), and very real.
A moving story... Lin Bentolila, a dear friend, gave me this book for my birthday 08 and I finally finished it and also saw the DVD movie version. Both gave me a rare view into a time in America that I knew little about. Published in 1939, the Grapes of Wrath is about the brutal and sad time people had to live... shall we say struggle through... and for the lucky some... survive during those days.
I learned that back then people entered into agricultural agreements where they did not own the land but were allowed by the owners to use the land in return for a share of the crop produced, and as times got really bad because of the lack of water, the "dust" storms and the inability to produce, they could no longer afford to pay the agreed share and were therefore, run from their land... even though they had worked it for over 70 years seeing many family generations come and go on the land which they called home...
How incredibly sad... simply horrible... The story centers on a family with the last name of Joads and it is so hopeless at times that I felt the pain and sorrow of these characters daring to hope for a better life.
Desperate times, children left without food and without care because parents earned miserable wages and had to go to find whatever work was available. Labor contracts were not respected, conditions were oppressive, and the spark of an attempt to correct the situation was seen as a crime and punished as such.
The emotions are deep and while the family undergoes many trials and desperate moments, they continue to have pride, human dignity, and the willingness to share whatever little they had. The road trip that takes them from their home in Oklahoma to California is at times exasperating because we suffer right along with these characters. The scenes at a road side diner where they buy bread... only able to pay for a 10 cent loaf is heart rendering and it is with a certain sense of trepidation that we realize that times in America today are again desperate for many. Never learning the great lessons from the past, we seem to repeat history over and over again, and between the housing market fiasco, the home foreclosures and the price of gas, let's hope we do not see Americans brought to another period of depression.
This is a must read and must see, while it is depressive, at times shocking, it poses fundamental questions of humanity. How can we live our lives in peace witnessing those who have so much and yet others not being able to eat? How do we ensure that our social systems protect our people from ever having to endure such harsh living conditions? At what point do we stop being human if we stand by and do nothing to change and bring opportunity and the right to work and earn a living to every person willing to work to make a living?
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