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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
I had first noticed John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath when I found it on a book shelf in my middle school's library. After skimming through the back cover of the book, I was no doubt intrigued with the book, but decided to pass on it not only it seemed too out of my reach for a young 7th grader like myself at the time, but also because it seemed so long. And I feared that it was going to be boring.
Fast forward to sophomore year of high school when I encountered the book yet again, this time seeing my friend read it for his English project. This one moment once again ignited my spark for the book as it got me to thinking: what is the big deal about this book?
I had already read 2 of Steinbeck's short novellas (Of Mice and Men & The Pearl) prior to picking up this big novel of his, so I was already aware of who this author was. I'm aware that Steinbeck writes about the working class and explores motifs such as the dreams and aspirations of such a people. I may be exaggerating a bit, but I feel that Steinbeck is an advocate of the workman because they truly are the backbone of this nation.
So I had assumed that Steinbeck would continue that exploration in this novel, so after little bit of research about it I found a short non-spoiler synopsis of its plot - a family, the Joads, travels west to the supposed promise land of California looking for work after being kicked off the land they once lived on in Oklahoma in the midst of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. I was right. I also discovered the vast the critical acclaim the book had been getting over the years from critics and readers alike, most of whom have define it as Steinbeck's magnum opus as it did win the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for Fiction back in 1940. Since then, it has become one of America's greatest epic novels that has stood the test of time.
But instead of having these facts speak for themselves, I wanted to find out for myself what made this book so special and I finally did during the 2nd semester of my Junior year when my English teacher recommended that I read the book. And I'm happy to say that it is all I had hoped for. It truly is a great classic.
Steinbeck's language is incredibly rich and the way he describes the land is so vivid that I'm able to picture it in my own mind as I read this great novel of his. He really is aware of his surroundings and knows California, the state he was born and grew up in, really well because Steinbeck has a keen sense for the land. This is an important aspect of this book because Steinbeck emphasizes what the land means for the workman and how it's an integral part of the workman's character and why such cruel forces in the form of selfish company/cooperation men and the banks want to take away the richness of the land and exploit it for their own purposes, which is of course to make money, leaving those that connected with the land lost.
I could feel Steinbeck's anger at seeing the injustice and cruelty of how hard-working people were being wronged at the hands of the unkind police and company men that controlled the land. He expresses this anger not only through his interesting narrative structure (alternating between telling the Joads' journey in one chapter and commenting on their struggle by expanding it in the next chapter and repeating that pattern throughout) and tone, but also through Tom Joad, the main character of the book that is just so angry all the time at the difficulties of life after jail and struggling with his family to come to terms with the USA has come to. People are to forced to leave their homes and migrate to another place in search of a better life. And this happened in America, no less.
It just tore me apart to read about people starving to death and having to sacrifice so much and trying so hard, only to come empty-handed and in despair.
That's how I connected to this book and I would think that's how most people would connect to the book: that universal aspect of survival. It's what binds humanity together because no matter who we are and what we do, we all want to survive and do our best to make it in life. And sometimes it's tough.
I have to admit, though, it was also tough for me to get through this book because of how depressing it is. I just couldn't bear to see the Joads suffer through it all. But you know what? While it is clear that the Joads are having a real hard time making ends, they kept going because they just want to see it through and hope it's all worth it in the end. That's what makes the book so compelling for me, to see such compassion in the face of the brutality of life during the Depression. Makes me wish that such compassion exists and perhaps it does.
What I liked about The Grapes of Wrath overall though was how relevant it still is today. The problems faced by the characters in the book are problems that many Americans today face. One has wonder how despite the nation's ability to feel millions and millions of people around the world, there are still many people who starve and go hungry. And plus who can forget the economic crisis in the housing market of 2006, a great parallel to the Great Depression.
It's a joy and a pain (in a good way, though) for me to read the Grapes of Wrath as the book has given me the strength to do my best each day knowing that there are people who are doing the same too. This might not be the best way to conclude this review, but it sums up what the Grapes of Wrath means to me. I think I'll find myself rereading it again in the near future because there seems to be so much more to discover.
Fast forward to sophomore year of high school when I encountered the book yet again, this time seeing my friend read it for his English project. This one moment once again ignited my spark for the book as it got me to thinking: what is the big deal about this book?
I had already read 2 of Steinbeck's short novellas (Of Mice and Men & The Pearl) prior to picking up this big novel of his, so I was already aware of who this author was. I'm aware that Steinbeck writes about the working class and explores motifs such as the dreams and aspirations of such a people. I may be exaggerating a bit, but I feel that Steinbeck is an advocate of the workman because they truly are the backbone of this nation.
So I had assumed that Steinbeck would continue that exploration in this novel, so after little bit of research about it I found a short non-spoiler synopsis of its plot - a family, the Joads, travels west to the supposed promise land of California looking for work after being kicked off the land they once lived on in Oklahoma in the midst of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. I was right. I also discovered the vast the critical acclaim the book had been getting over the years from critics and readers alike, most of whom have define it as Steinbeck's magnum opus as it did win the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for Fiction back in 1940. Since then, it has become one of America's greatest epic novels that has stood the test of time.
But instead of having these facts speak for themselves, I wanted to find out for myself what made this book so special and I finally did during the 2nd semester of my Junior year when my English teacher recommended that I read the book. And I'm happy to say that it is all I had hoped for. It truly is a great classic.
Steinbeck's language is incredibly rich and the way he describes the land is so vivid that I'm able to picture it in my own mind as I read this great novel of his. He really is aware of his surroundings and knows California, the state he was born and grew up in, really well because Steinbeck has a keen sense for the land. This is an important aspect of this book because Steinbeck emphasizes what the land means for the workman and how it's an integral part of the workman's character and why such cruel forces in the form of selfish company/cooperation men and the banks want to take away the richness of the land and exploit it for their own purposes, which is of course to make money, leaving those that connected with the land lost.
I could feel Steinbeck's anger at seeing the injustice and cruelty of how hard-working people were being wronged at the hands of the unkind police and company men that controlled the land. He expresses this anger not only through his interesting narrative structure (alternating between telling the Joads' journey in one chapter and commenting on their struggle by expanding it in the next chapter and repeating that pattern throughout) and tone, but also through Tom Joad, the main character of the book that is just so angry all the time at the difficulties of life after jail and struggling with his family to come to terms with the USA has come to. People are to forced to leave their homes and migrate to another place in search of a better life. And this happened in America, no less.
It just tore me apart to read about people starving to death and having to sacrifice so much and trying so hard, only to come empty-handed and in despair.
That's how I connected to this book and I would think that's how most people would connect to the book: that universal aspect of survival. It's what binds humanity together because no matter who we are and what we do, we all want to survive and do our best to make it in life. And sometimes it's tough.
I have to admit, though, it was also tough for me to get through this book because of how depressing it is. I just couldn't bear to see the Joads suffer through it all. But you know what? While it is clear that the Joads are having a real hard time making ends, they kept going because they just want to see it through and hope it's all worth it in the end. That's what makes the book so compelling for me, to see such compassion in the face of the brutality of life during the Depression. Makes me wish that such compassion exists and perhaps it does.
What I liked about The Grapes of Wrath overall though was how relevant it still is today. The problems faced by the characters in the book are problems that many Americans today face. One has wonder how despite the nation's ability to feel millions and millions of people around the world, there are still many people who starve and go hungry. And plus who can forget the economic crisis in the housing market of 2006, a great parallel to the Great Depression.
It's a joy and a pain (in a good way, though) for me to read the Grapes of Wrath as the book has given me the strength to do my best each day knowing that there are people who are doing the same too. This might not be the best way to conclude this review, but it sums up what the Grapes of Wrath means to me. I think I'll find myself rereading it again in the near future because there seems to be so much more to discover.
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I understand, in parts, why this has become a classic, but for me it doesn't live up to the reverence. Strong themes and messaging throughout the novel make it perfect for analysis -- I just feel there are better told stories about this time period (crucially, Sanora Babbs' Whose Names Are Unknown) without the heaviness of Steinbeck's prose and commentary. The "in-between" chapters were superior, to me, than the plodding story of the Joad family.
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated