The Grapes of Wrath - an Honest Review
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, Published by The Viking Press-James Lloyd on April 14, 1939 is truly a literary masterpiece. This book undoubtedly amazes me. The plot and characters make this novel action-packed and breathtaking.
The story is about a farmer and sharecropper named Tom Joad and his family’s struggle during the Dust Bowl. Life is difficult during this time, and sharecroppers in the Midwest have trouble keeping food “at the table”. According to the novel, “What do you want us to do? We cannot take less share of the crop – we're half starved now. The kids are hungry all the time. We got no clothes, torn an' ragged. (5.13)” So they have to leave to California in hopes of work. Nevertheless, …show more content…
The characters are unforgettable and, although they serve ordinary roles on the outside, they serve extraordinary roles on the inside. Tom Joad, the main character, is an interesting figure. He is a prison parolee that committed homicide, but is surprisingly the protagonist. He shows the most development out of any character and shows selfless benevolence to his community. Another unforgettable character is Jim Casy. He is a former preacher that lost his calling as a preacher. On the outside, he is not a good person, even having extramarital affairs with girls from the church he preached at, “taking them out to the grass.” Nevertheless, he still is an amazing person, going to jail and dying just to fight for the rights of his community of migrant workers. There are many more characters in this story that are unforgettable and wonderful. However, it would take me a while to give analysis on every single character.
The Grapes of Wrath is certainly an enjoyable book. My only concern is in the language Steinbeck uses. The story’s language is a 1930’s southern dialect. In my opinion, it is boring and “dry,” distorting the seriousness of the story, making it seem less serious than it is. It sets the setting satisfactorily, and many readers might enjoy it, but frankly I did not. Besides that though, it is an amazing book that I highly recommend anyone
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, Published by The Viking Press-James Lloyd on April 14, 1939 is truly a literary masterpiece. This book undoubtedly amazes me. The plot and characters make this novel action-packed and breathtaking.
The story is about a farmer and sharecropper named Tom Joad and his family’s struggle during the Dust Bowl. Life is difficult during this time, and sharecroppers in the Midwest have trouble keeping food “at the table”. According to the novel, “What do you want us to do? We cannot take less share of the crop – we're half starved now. The kids are hungry all the time. We got no clothes, torn an' ragged. (5.13)” So they have to leave to California in hopes of work. Nevertheless, …show more content…
The characters are unforgettable and, although they serve ordinary roles on the outside, they serve extraordinary roles on the inside. Tom Joad, the main character, is an interesting figure. He is a prison parolee that committed homicide, but is surprisingly the protagonist. He shows the most development out of any character and shows selfless benevolence to his community. Another unforgettable character is Jim Casy. He is a former preacher that lost his calling as a preacher. On the outside, he is not a good person, even having extramarital affairs with girls from the church he preached at, “taking them out to the grass.” Nevertheless, he still is an amazing person, going to jail and dying just to fight for the rights of his community of migrant workers. There are many more characters in this story that are unforgettable and wonderful. However, it would take me a while to give analysis on every single character.
The Grapes of Wrath is certainly an enjoyable book. My only concern is in the language Steinbeck uses. The story’s language is a 1930’s southern dialect. In my opinion, it is boring and “dry,” distorting the seriousness of the story, making it seem less serious than it is. It sets the setting satisfactorily, and many readers might enjoy it, but frankly I did not. Besides that though, it is an amazing book that I highly recommend anyone