The Grapes of Wrath (and you thought they were delicious...)

When I first picked up The Grapes of Wrath to start my reading, I had just come out of a week-long vacation to San Diego with some friends, traveling in a bus and visiting places like the historic Mesa Verde, the marvelous Grand Canyon, and the beautiful beach of Coronado Island. So I wasn’t exactly thrilled about my new schedule of reading around the clock, and my first thought about this book was how long it was. However, as I read, slowly but surely I began to enjoy The Grapes of Wrath. It does have some drawbacks, like the broken and harsh language of the farmers/migrants, the old vocabulary and meanings of the 1930’s, and the flat characterizations of some of the characters. But I felt this was a really moving novel with vivid descriptions and realizations. I really like the way the author offered so much background without completely disrupting the storyline. I thought it was pretty clever writing in the backgrounds and settings in every other chapter, and the way he worded those chapters was very interesting in itself.

The various characters of the novel were quite enjoyable too. Most have quite a bit in common, yet they are so different from each other at the same time. My favorite character of the book has to be Jim Casy. He is a reserved, quiet and thoughtful man, or as Tom puts it, “he’s a funny fella”, “thinkin’ all the time.” Casy thinks past the world’s concerns and more about spiritual things and meanings, which he sometimes blamed on his years as a preacher. But he renounces those years and even his own religion as he begins thinking through and questioning things and behaviors around him. The author sets Casy up as somewhat of a moral backbone to the characters with all his insight. He has a good heart, and shows this when he takes the blame for a fallen cop and goes to jail, and later when he gives his life in working to give the migrants better lives and wages. But the preacher in death was just as inspiring as in life, as Tom ended up following Casy’s lead and continuing his work.

Another impacting loss of this desperate journey was the stillbirth of Rose of Sharon’s baby. When Uncle John sent the baby’s coffin down the flooding stream, I couldn’t help but think of Moses. Although he was alive, Moses was also sent down a river in a little basket, and eventually grew up to lead his people out of Egypt. When Uncle John placed the apple box in the currents, he sent it, saying:

"Go down an’ tell ‘em. Go down in the street an’ rot an’ tell ‘em that way.… Maybe they’ll know then.”

In this way, the lifeless baby is Moses, and is sent out to free his people from the hunger and injustice they’ve been forced to face. I think this was a really important part of the story, and kind of gave hope that one day the depressing times would end, and the migrants would be “free”.

One more thing I think important to mention is the famous opening line of the novel:

"To the red country and part of the gray country of Oklahoma, the last rains came gently, and they did not cut the scarred earth."

These words make a great introduction, because not only do they tell you the setting and conditions of the time, they give a sense of what’s to come. The second half has a great air of foreshadowing, of the destitute soon to come. Maybe it’s just me, but when you read this and really take it in, you just know, deep down, that this isn’t going to be one of those lovely fantasies with a happy ending.

So, The Grapes of Wrath: A great American novel, of not only the depression, hunger, inhumanity, but also of the life, moral, and hope of a country? I think so. Something to read just to pass the time of day, or to make you feel all cheery inside? Probably not. But that’s what makes it brilliant.