Grapes Of Wrath
...USA; New York.
Reissued Edition (Oct. 1992).
619 Pages.
Reviewed By: Kevin Kearney, 2001 April 22.
Reviewed For: Professor George Browne.
Kearney 1
The Grapes of Wrath is a novel by John Steinbeck that exposes the desperate
conditions under which the migratory farming families of America during the 1930's
lived, through a personal approach and heavy symbolism. The novel tells of one family's
migration west to California through the great economic depression of the 1930's. The
bank took possession of their land because the owners could not pay off their loan. The
novel shows how the Joad family deals with moving to California, and how they survive
the cruelty of the landowners that took advantage of them, their poverty, and willingness
to work.
The Grapes of Wrath combines Steinbeck's adoration of the land, his passionate
hatred for corruption; resulting from materialism (money), and his abiding faith in the
common people to overcome the hostile environment. As it opens with a retaining
picture of nature on rampage, the novel shows the men and women that are unbroken by
nature. The theme is that of a man verses a hostile environment. His body may be
destroyed, but his spirit is not broken.
The method used to develop the theme of the novel is through the use of
symbolism. There are several uses of symbols in the novel from the turtle at the
beginning to the rain at the end. As each symbol is presented, examples of the good and
the bad things that exist within the novel are shown. The opening...
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