THE GRAPES OF WRATH - JOHN STEINBECK

This classic Pulitzer Prize winning book certainly needs no introduction or commentary from me on it's merits, but I just finished this book sobbing, and I felt the need to discuss it.

Let's start earlier. Last year was the first time I'd read anything from John Steinbeck - it was "Of Mice and Men" which was such a short story I thought I'd start there. I don't remember much of my feelings towards that book but I know that it sparked an interest in me to read more from Steinbeck.

The second book I read of his was "East of Eden" - which completely solidified my love of Steinbeck.

When I was done reading it, I told my father, "this is his masterpiece!" and I meant that. What I loved about it was the graceful way he retold the Cain and Abel story and its ramifications on the family, the way his characters were so fleshed out, and the philosophical dialogue- I just adored that  book! I enjoyed the loving way in which he described his California valley - it just really appealed to me and made that book one of my favorites of all time - which I will reread.

Then this book! I won't say it's a favorite book of all time, but I do consider it another masterpiece of Steinbeck's! First of all, the man writes the most PERFECT sentences! He knows how to talk about everyday happenings in such a way that feels so natural and puts you right in that scene. His dialogue again, always meaningful - and so poignant. 

The discussion of poverty in America during the great "dust bowl" of the 30's, and the great migration from the midwest to California, is what this book is all about. It centers around the (fictional) Joad family and their journey in particular to "california" where they assume there is work aplenty for farmers and where their "American Dream" of a good paying job and a solid home can be realized. Or can it? 

This book was so brutal in part because I know this was written out of a true historical scenario, even though the individuals in it were fictional. To know that so many families back then literally starved just breaks my heart. The part where the fruit is being sprayed with kerosene, ruined before anyone could eat the excess that couldn't be sold, just burned me up, as I'm sure it did Steinbeck, for he wrote of how this despair fueled anger and how the greed was ruining the country. Things of this nature happened and were appalling.

I believe this book is teaching the downside to capitalism when it goes unchecked. The greed depicted in this book is inhumane. I think John Steinbeck was certainly making a case for some form of socialism, which we did institute via welfare and other varying types of assistance. Although many today look down on socialism and the welfare/social security and other programs that we fund through our taxes, this book truly highlights how very horrible things can go when there are no such programs in place. People really would starve. 

It's interesting to read this almost a hundred years after it was written and to see how far we've come as a country, as a society.  There are so many philosophical discussions in here between characters on the subject of the needs of the individual vs. the needs of the collective, on the rights of free commerce, on the need for unions to cease auctioning jobs off at the lowest wage (which created a starving workforce - such a disgrace)....and many other themes around poverty, power, government, and the nature of people. I'm sure quite a few have written dissertations around the discussions in this book. I'm just writing to express how much this book meant to me - my mother and grandmother lived through those times. I wish I had read this book 25 years ago so I could've discussed it with both of them. How I wish I could talk to them at times like these! But I digress...

Can we just take a look at how desperate the Joad family is at the end? How earnest they were to work hard and repeatedly came up empty handed? How quickly their dream of California turned into a nightmare.... I had been reading this book for about a month - I had to read it in installments because honestly, it was one of the bleakest things I've ever read and I needed time away from it now and again. THAT LAST SCENE!!!!!!!!!! I broke down and sobbed my eyes out. And for Steinbeck to leave them there - this was just so hopeless that i sobbed and wanted to throw the book across the room because the author didn't save them for me, but left them hanging. I thought about how I'd feel in their shoes and I think I'd want to just lie down and die. It was TOO MUCH. Overwhelmingly hopeless. 

My favorite character was the mother Joad. I think she was Steinbeck's favorite character as well because she just embodied hope and strength and forbearance. Interestingly, I had the same thought as Steinbeck, which made me happy to see that he had made the mother say, which I'll have to paraphrase unfortunately since i cannot find it, something to the effect of ... we think times are bad, and they are, but life keeps moving forward and things keep improving slowly, imperceptibly, but nothing stays stagnant forever, and progress once made will never slip backwards.  

It took me 50 odd years to learn this, but history is important, if you don't know where you've been, you may recreate those same mistakes, you might not learn how far we've come, and you might not appreciate how good we have it. Yes, I said it. And I meant it.

As for me? I wouldn't have been able to bear it. Have you read this? Could you have lived like this? Count your blessings we no longer live in such bleak times. All things Covid aside, these times depicted here - way more devastating.