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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Had to read it for English 1A when I got tired of taking high school English and took my last English class ever at the junior college. I ended up having to read it twice in the same semester because I am an overachiever and I finished it before my professor expected us to have started it. So then I had to read it again to follow the class discussions. Being from California originally and having to read a ton of Steinbeck in school, I think all of John Steinbeck's work is a little overrated but this one was okay until it got driven into the ground by school. I think I would have liked it better if the class hadn't sucked the life out of it.
I'm super glad to get to this classic, and I doubt I'll add anything new with this review that others haven't mentioned in past ones.
Quick thoughts:
The Grapes of Wrath depressed me and caused lots of rage while reading this. The suffering and plight that happens in this tale is not for the weak of heart.
The Great Depression is a sad moment in history and we should always remember how the working class was abused, taken advantage of, and denied all dignity for wanting something more.
Steinbeck doesn't get political with this book but he does make a great case on what capitalism and organized religion can do to society.
If the people controlling those systems are not responsible for lifting others up and producing a better life, then the system will eventually crack and become corrupt.
We must try to lead with hope that things are good for everyone in society, not just the rich and powerful.
I felt like he relayed this well with the Joad family and how they try to survive and still help others when they had nothing.
I think we could all try to be a bit more like the Joad family. Don't you?
Quick thoughts:
The Grapes of Wrath depressed me and caused lots of rage while reading this. The suffering and plight that happens in this tale is not for the weak of heart.
The Great Depression is a sad moment in history and we should always remember how the working class was abused, taken advantage of, and denied all dignity for wanting something more.
How can you frighten a man whose hunger is not only in his own cramped stomach but in the wretched bellies of his children?
You can't scare him - he has known a fear beyond every other.
- John Steinbeck
Steinbeck doesn't get political with this book but he does make a great case on what capitalism and organized religion can do to society.
If the people controlling those systems are not responsible for lifting others up and producing a better life, then the system will eventually crack and become corrupt.
We must try to lead with hope that things are good for everyone in society, not just the rich and powerful.
I felt like he relayed this well with the Joad family and how they try to survive and still help others when they had nothing.
I think we could all try to be a bit more like the Joad family. Don't you?
Epic, poignant, haunting and heart-wrenching. This book highlights the light and ugly sides of humanity. It teaches us about the causes and consequences of the Great Depression in the U.S., but at the same time tells a story that has played out many times across many civilisations. It is still extremely relevant today (in the Syrian migrants and the almost total lack of empathy the west is showing them). This should be mandatory reading! It's bleak in the extreme but I don't see how anyone can walk away from this book without seeing the world in a different way.
I read this a few months ago, and knew I would love it, since I had loved Steinbeck's "In Dubious Battle." I had wanted to read it ever since I heard an excerpt taken from it years back. It is evocative, moving, real in a way that feels like it sprang from the dusty earth of the Great Depression. The themes are handled incredibly well. It felt almost spiritual, but not in a way that made me feel connected to some sort of higher power, but in that it made me feel connected to humanity itself.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Miscarriage, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy
hard to understand when english isnt your first language
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Why do teachers make us read Steinbeck??? They know we don't like him and are just going to use sparknotes (which i am proud to say I did not).
the book was dull.
the book was dull.