The Grapes of Wrath Book Review

Here is my book review for The Grapes of Wrath. Please do not plagiarize any part of my writing.    

    John Steinbeck is a long-loved author who has written several popular books. Out of all of his amazing masterpieces, the title of the one that has earned a distinct place in my opinion is The Grapes of Wrath. This novel has not only received unique recognition by me, but is also widely appreciated by the public. Published in 1939, it has won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction and the National Book Award. Reflective of the time period in which it was published, the novel also takes place during the Great Depression. The Joad family is a family caught in the Dust Bowl, which is a combination of a drought and a series of many dust storms, which destroyed many farms and prairies in the United States. There is hardly any rain, and their crops are withering. If something doesn't change soon, the family will die of starvation. The family decides to travel west, seeking land and great jobs. The journey itself is long and hard, and by no means was it pleasant; there were many tragedies and disappointments. However, through perseverance, the family eventually made it to California.

    Tom Joad is excited to reunite with the rest of his family at his Uncle John Joad’s house, which includes his mother, Ma Joad, his father, Pa Joad, his brothers, Noah, Al, and Winfield, his sisters, Ruthie and pregnant Rose of Sharon, and his brother-in-law Connie. His mother, Ma Joad, is the head of the family, which was unusual during the Great Depression since the head of the house was usually a paternal figure. The reason that I believe that she assumes a prominent role in leading her family is that the action she takes is similar to that taken by a paternal figure. For example, when Grampa refused to go on the journey to California with the rest of the family, Ma Joad decided to take action, and put him to sleep so that it was easy to transfer him into the car. Granpa is also an important figure in the novel, but sadly we do not get to know him that well since he dies early on in the novel. Unfortunately, Granma also dies halfway throughout the novel. Rose of Sharon is excited about arriving at California and loves to dream about all the exciting things that she and her husband will do together once she and her husband reach their destination. Ruthie and Winfield are just two innocent little kids who like to fool around and cause mischief. Tom’s younger brother Al is interested in girls. This is shown when he puts on fancy clothes, such as belts and boots. This is similar to the habits of Curley’s wife in the novella Of Mice and Men, also written by John Steinbeck. Curley’s wife in Of Mice and Men also wears nice clothes and puts on make up to receive attention from other ranch hands in the novella. Al is also a great mechanic, just like Tom. Noah, Tom’s brother has had too much and decides to leave the family and go live by himself about the same time as the rest of the family finds out that Granma is dead.

    One theme of the book that struck me most was dishonesty. Many characters were dishonest, and others were trying to rip people off. This reality was far from what I have expected to happen. An example of this is when Ma didn’t tell the rest of the family when Granma died. She did not tell any direct lies, however, it is still a form of dishonesty. In addition, the contractor who arrives in the shiny car is dishonest because he set a policeman after Floyd for asking to see the contractor’s work license. That is basically repealing the right of Habeas Corpus, the right to know the reason you are being arrested for. Yet another example of dishonesty is when the family is trying to find used cars. The dealer is intentionally overpricing the cars because he knows the family is desperate to get one.

    One trait that I find common in The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men is that John Steinbeck includes many deaths in both of his books. In The Grapes of Wrath, many loved ones die, including Grandma, Grandpa, the dog of the family, and the still baby that Rose of Sharon had. In Of Mice and Men, Curley’s wife, Candy’s old dog, Slim’s puppy that was given to Lennie, mice, and Lennie himself all die. Another trait that I noticed was that he uses vivid descriptions to describe whatever he is trying to show. In the opening scene of Of Mice and Men, the author does not forget to include the vivid details about where they are and how the place looks like. In The Grapes of Wrath, which is longer than Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck includes longer descriptions. This is shown in many places. One example is when he dedicates one whole chapter to show the turtle trying to cross the road, the turtle symbolizing the family.

    I would recommend this book for others because it is a good book, and it shows the sad struggles of life. You can learn from this book in that you can apply the same skills that Ma Joad did on the journey west. Ma Joad was worried inside that they would not make it across the country, especially since there was bad health and deaths in the family. This book is a great book, and teaches great life lessons to us. Even though it is unlikely that we would be placed in the same situation as the Joad family, we can still persevere as hard as them. The Grapes of Wrath is a great book that you can learn from.