John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath fought major backlash from critics and battled grievances from offended readers on its way to becoming immortalized in literary history among the greatest works of all time. The Grapes of Wrath, at the time of its publication, was disliked by many Americans, who had lived the tumultuous lives portrayed in the book, but with age has become a prized, frequently-referenced description of life following the Dust Bowl. This essay follows The Grapes of Wrath along its bumpy path to ultimate success. On Friday, April 14, 1939, The Grapes of Wrath hit bookstore shelves everywhere and immediately gained attention—from critics, farmers, historians, and even the First Lady (Chilton 2015). However, the attention was
…show more content…
In fact, Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin played the film adaptation of The Grapes of Wrath in 1949 as a pro-communism display, revealing the hardships that Americans faced under the most developed form of capitalism (Whitfield 2009). In an attempt to deflect the accusations, Viking Press reprinted the book with the inclusion of the first page of sheet music from Julia Ward Howe’s “Battle Hymn of the Republic” (the source for the book’s title) printed on the final pages, but the attempt was unsuccessful (DeMott …show more content…
In spring of 1940, Steinbeck was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and at last he was able to speak proudly about the novel which he had worked so tirelessly to create. As Demott points out, “The Grapes of Wrath has resolutely entered both the American consciousness and its conscience,” and very few works can attest to that accomplishment.
By the end of the century, The Grapes of Wrath had sold fourteen million copies and had been translated into nearly thirty languages. Steinbeck’s crowning achievement in The Grapes of Wrath is its everlasting prominence in issues of social justice due to its ability to adapt to our constantly-changing political landscape. Steinbeck had remarked upon finishing the book that “it isn't the great book I had hoped it would be. It's just a run-of-the-mill book,” but the world thought it was much more (Steinbeck & DeMott
In fact, Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin played the film adaptation of The Grapes of Wrath in 1949 as a pro-communism display, revealing the hardships that Americans faced under the most developed form of capitalism (Whitfield 2009). In an attempt to deflect the accusations, Viking Press reprinted the book with the inclusion of the first page of sheet music from Julia Ward Howe’s “Battle Hymn of the Republic” (the source for the book’s title) printed on the final pages, but the attempt was unsuccessful (DeMott …show more content…
In spring of 1940, Steinbeck was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and at last he was able to speak proudly about the novel which he had worked so tirelessly to create. As Demott points out, “The Grapes of Wrath has resolutely entered both the American consciousness and its conscience,” and very few works can attest to that accomplishment.
By the end of the century, The Grapes of Wrath had sold fourteen million copies and had been translated into nearly thirty languages. Steinbeck’s crowning achievement in The Grapes of Wrath is its everlasting prominence in issues of social justice due to its ability to adapt to our constantly-changing political landscape. Steinbeck had remarked upon finishing the book that “it isn't the great book I had hoped it would be. It's just a run-of-the-mill book,” but the world thought it was much more (Steinbeck & DeMott