The Real Depression Era Story.

John Steinbecks's The Grapes of Wrath is one of the most realistic novels ever written about America's depression. Written in 1939, the horror of the depression was still vivid in the hearts of people across America. This familiarity with the era and the people shows through every paragraph.

The Grapes of Wrath centers around Tom Joad, who was recently paroled, and his family as they trek toward the promised land of California. It details the trip with Tom, his parents, grandparents, two bothers, expecting sister and her husband, two children, a dog and the Reverand Jim Casey piled in the cut off sedan as they try to make their way across the country. You also get to experience their trials when they find that their expected haven resembles the depravity that they throught they had left behind. The story swings from showing a faint glimmer of hope to utter defeat in what feels like seconds. However, no matter how bad things get, the family clings together and holds steadfast to the bond of family. This bond becomes the only thing that the family can depend on to get them through the challanges of life during the depression.

Steinbeck writes in great detail. There are sections where he will write at length simply discribing a scene, an idea, or an action. These sections can cause a reader to quickly lose interrest if you take them word for word. However, I've found that if you skim these sections you still get the powerful feeling that Steinbeck was portraying without feeling overwhelmed by descriptive passages. This method would be especially useful on the first reading of the novel. The core of the novel is the Joad family and their experiecnces. If you are able to follow them, you will get the main message of the novel. If you return to the book to read it again (and I can almost promise you eventually will), then you can spend more time engulfing yourself into Steinbeck's lengthy, yet vivid discriptions.

One of the only downfalls I can find people finding in the book is that it does often use profanity. If you are easily offended by profanity, or even graphic description, you may want to be careful about reading this novel, or perhaps stay clear of it all together. However, I do feel that you would be missing a great American classic if you do so. Struggling through the long descriptions and bearing the violence of the novel are definitely worth it. (And trust me, you'd never be able to guess how the novel ends. I was in utter shock.)

The emotions that Steinbeck portrays in this novel are extremely powerful. As you get further into the novel you almost begin to feel as if you were part of the Joad family. Their heartache becomes yours, you share their celebration. I have always found that if an author can make you feel the pain and joy of his central characters, especially when they are people you have very little in common with, his novel is sure to be a success. A fair warning, however, be prepared to cry. The end of this novel is the most tragic I have ever read. It was something completely unpredicatable and almost unfathomable. However, it concluded with a ultimate portrait of how desperate, and how unselfish, the people of the Depression Era had become. It is an ending that you will never forget.

In conclusion, the novel is, in my opinion, the best ever written. It is definitely one of the best classic novels you'll ever read. Grab a cup of coffee and sit down with The Grapes of Wrath. You won't be disappointed.