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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
medium-paced
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
very enjoyable considering what it is. it looks quite intimidating (and yes, it is as dense as it looks), but it was not as much of a challenge to read as i expected. i liked the blend of historical significance and fictional plot. it’s quite a depressing book, as the joads are constantly hit with hardship after hardship, but in the transitional chapters that act as very layered and complicated metaphors, we get a glimpse of nature (and the pinnacle of steinbeck’s writing in my opinion). the ending was a little unnecessary and the theme it conveyed could have been displayed in a different way, in my opinion, but this is a harder classic that i would recommend, mainly for its historical significance.
challenging
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
:(
dark
sad
slow-paced
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
Good overall. Not quite as amazing as East of Eden but still very important themes and messages.
The book itself wasn't interesting. The best characters all died, the plot was little to nonexistent, and it just dragged on and on.
If this wasn't a mandatory read, I probably wouldn't have finished it.
There were some things I liked, though.
- I liked the intercalary chapters. It was nice to have some sort of a relief from the Joads' travels. I liked how they all were a preview of what was to come.
- I loved Casey. He was an amazing person, a Jesus-like figure that could preach even though he wasn't sure about his religion. He could stand up for Tom or Floyd or even the migrant workers and exploited Injustices.
- The mysteries surrounding what happened to the characters. What happened to Connie? Tom? Al? What happened to the Wallaces and Muley Graves? It leaves something to resonate with you, an emtpy feeling of uncertainty.
- The medical talk in the book was amazing and accurate. John Steinbeck took a medical class in college, and I'm glad he did. Everything was correct and nicely written.
- The derogatory terms used by the children. It made the innocence and naivete of the situation dissipate. It was bold to write about having a hierarchy amongst the migrant workers.
- I liked that this was based off of a real event and a real family.
Things I did not like
- The plot of the novel. Moving from Oklahoma to California is generic. The hardships along the way were overdramatic, repetitive, and simply childish.
- The dialect of the story wasn't my thing. I understand that people talk that way, but it made the book mind numbing. I had to reread certain pages because of all the dialect.
- The book was anticlimactic. I can't tell you were the climax is. It certainly wasn't when they reached California. It probably was around page 500, when the deputies start killing reds and Tom kills one of them in a bout of rage over the death of Casey.
- The entire book seemed like a filler chapter. You could take entire chapters out and the book would still be the same.
I didn't like it. I don't recommend it. It's not the best American classic I've read, but I don't think it's the worse (although it's close).
If this wasn't a mandatory read, I probably wouldn't have finished it.
There were some things I liked, though.
- I liked the intercalary chapters. It was nice to have some sort of a relief from the Joads' travels. I liked how they all were a preview of what was to come.
- I loved Casey. He was an amazing person, a Jesus-like figure that could preach even though he wasn't sure about his religion. He could stand up for Tom or Floyd or even the migrant workers and exploited Injustices.
- The mysteries surrounding what happened to the characters. What happened to Connie? Tom? Al? What happened to the Wallaces and Muley Graves? It leaves something to resonate with you, an emtpy feeling of uncertainty.
- The medical talk in the book was amazing and accurate. John Steinbeck took a medical class in college, and I'm glad he did. Everything was correct and nicely written.
- The derogatory terms used by the children. It made the innocence and naivete of the situation dissipate. It was bold to write about having a hierarchy amongst the migrant workers.
- I liked that this was based off of a real event and a real family.
Things I did not like
- The plot of the novel. Moving from Oklahoma to California is generic. The hardships along the way were overdramatic, repetitive, and simply childish.
- The dialect of the story wasn't my thing. I understand that people talk that way, but it made the book mind numbing. I had to reread certain pages because of all the dialect.
- The book was anticlimactic. I can't tell you were the climax is. It certainly wasn't when they reached California. It probably was around page 500, when the deputies start killing reds and Tom kills one of them in a bout of rage over the death of Casey.
- The entire book seemed like a filler chapter. You could take entire chapters out and the book would still be the same.
I didn't like it. I don't recommend it. It's not the best American classic I've read, but I don't think it's the worse (although it's close).