‘Steinbeck Special’ Grapes of Wrath: Afterthoughts

I’ve just finished reading Grapes of Wrath, novel No.5 in my Steinbeck Special, and sadly the last one for now. With so many other things contesting my time over the past month (including this website), it’s taken longer to finish this novel than it should have, but in a positive way that’s probably allowed me to digest it better. So what did I think of it?

Well not surprisingly, given that I’ve already elevated Steinbeck to the status of ‘demigod’, I enjoyed Grapes of Wrath immensely, although I must admit rather shamefully, that by Chapter 5 I was ready to give up the book, because I was having a real problem getting to grips with the colloquial nuances in the dialogue of the characters. Thankfully I stuck with it (it would after all have been sacriligious to quit part-way through a Steinbeck novel) and soon after I become accustomed, even comfortable, with “Okie” speak ).

Given its themes i.e. forced mass family migration, exploitation, the Great Depression, starvation etc., Grapes of Wrath is hugely emotive; a bleak, desolute story containing little prospect for its main characters (the family Joad), or pretty much anyone else for that matter, making it wholly indicative of a work that has been penned by Steinbeck. As one would expect, the story is one that becomes and remains tense and gripping throughout, especially once the Joads begin their migration west.

As always the characters in Grapes of Wrath are flawless in their realisation. From the stoic matriarch of the family Ma Joad to the closely knit and ever mischievous youngest members of the Joads, Ruthie and Winfield, all characters are superbly realised. Perhaps Steinbeck’s most triumphant character in my opinion is eldest son Tom who, always guided by principle, is the ‘real’ supporting pillar of the family. I feel that Steinbeck also triumphs in his depiction of the eldest girl of the family, Rosasharn, who starts the novel as a dreamy pregnant teenager but ends it as a mature woman – hugely, hugely powerful stuff!

Steinbeck’s descriptive narrative on nature and the surroundings is, as it seems in every Steinbeck novel I’ve read, sublime. Every location is brought alive on the page allowing one to clealry see it in the ‘mind’s eye’. Weather, and the changing seasons, must be one of Seinbeck’s specialities because he describes these and their effects so incredibly well, and perhaps no better than in Grapes of Wrath; you almost feel the chill of a rainstorm, or the relentless burn of the high summer sun – no really you do! ).

I stated earlier that the story remains gripping throughout, and it does, but the tension is heigtened through a technique that Steinbeck uses in Grapes of Wrath – one that I really, really like. It’s a technique where he interjects the main story narrative i.e. shadowing the journey of the Joads, with chapters of a more general ‘universal’ account of things. One of my particular favourites is a chapter on a diner located on the main route west, where the owners (Mae and Al) desperate for trade, welcome the arrival of truck drivers (the mainstay of their business) and cringe at the thought of a visit from ‘rich folks’ who spend little and bemoan all. To this scene comes crashing a migrant family heading west, poor amd desperate and pleading for a cheap deal on bread. This provides both a test for Mae’s charitable nature, and gives indication that times are a’changing. Another chapter, from the perspective of a used-car lot, illustrates both the desperation of people needing to buy cars to journey west, and their situation being exploited by less than honest salesmen. Later chapters explore other aspects such as the ‘politics’ of migrant camp life – its hierarchy and rules, the increasing exploitation of migrant workers and all adding immensely to the overall story.

I never thought I’d speak ill of a Steinbeck novel, but Grapes of Wrath is not without its faults in my opinion, although they are minor ones. I felt on more than one occassion that certain story threads within the novel came to a rather abrupt end with no real sense of closure, and sometimes that key events would occur without any significant build-up; ‘out of the blue’ in other words. It’s difficult to give examples of these ‘faults’ without going into spoiler territory (which I’m not prepared to do), but hopefully those who’ve read Grapes of Wrath will know the events I’m talking about when I say Tom, Connie, Noah. The ending, hugely powerful as it is, again I felt, had no real sense of closure to it. With so many loose ends left hanging, I formed a notion that Steinbeck may have been planning a sequel (anyone?), because it certainly feels as though he was leaving the foundations for one.

Ultimately though Grapes of Wrath is an incredible novel and it is one that brings a befitting, although sad end to my Steinbeck challenge…for now. After reading 5 Steinbeck novels in total I would probably not place Grapes of Wrath as the ‘best of the bunch’ (that would be Cannery Row), but this is certainly a novel that needs to be read by anyone and everyone. If nothing else it brings focus to one of the biggest disasters of the 1930s, and while no one can claim that the events of Grapes of Wrath wholly mirror the experiences of the region in the Great Depression, it gives a unique perspective, one that will hopefully encourage readers to dig deeper, and study the ‘real’ history of the subject.

Favourite quote: “……and they stand still and watch the potatoes float by, listen to the screaming pigs being killed in a ditch and covered with quicklime, watch the mountains of oranges slop down to a putrefying ooze; and in the eyes of the people there is a failure; and in the eyes of the hungry there is a growing wrath. In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage”.

Rating:

Favourite scene: A number of scenes in Grapes of Wrath could be chosen as my favourites but I’ve narrowed it down to two – the scene when Tom Joad meets up with the family at the farm of Uncle John – I love the delight shown in everyone, especially grandpa and grandma. The other scene I loved was a later one – the family’s arrival in Weedpatch camp. The sense of hope and relief that this scene brings is incredible.

What this novel has taught me about writing: I could not learn any more on character and scene building than I already have from Steinbeck, but what this novel has taught me is the power of building the story better by interjecting ‘bigger picture’ chapters outwith the main story narrative. It’s a technique that seems to work incredibly well, and it’s a technique that avoids any dilution of the main narrative chapters.