A review by saturnoj
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-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

5.0

A beautiful critique of early modern American life. The horrors of capitalism are written plainly throughout the novel as if it was a natural disaster that could not be avoided. While the smaller business owners are portrayed as human and sometimes kind, the larger the businesses got the less human the owners and those that enforced their ownership of the capital became. The refusal of the few to put aside personal gain led to terrible pain and suffering of the masses. Throughout the book we see how the Joad’s struggle to deal with these changes and they could be consider one of the luckier families all things considered. And as the vices of capitalism slowly squeeze the humanity out of the poor and hungry, there is also the brighter side to humanity that is displayed. In the camps where strangers tend for each other and honor the fallen whom they never knew. Communities that rise and fall in days have lasting impacts on the lives of those in them. But at a point these tent villages turn into another way for the capital owners to oppress and harm the poor. Using the police as their cudgel, tearing apart communities doing harm to no one filled with people just struggling to survive. Beyond the cruelty of the capital owners the unwillingness of the government to step in and help these people is another symptom of the disease that afflicts America.  When large corporations own everything they also own the politicians that have the ability to enact change and thus change rarely occurs. This book is as relevant today as it was when it was written.