John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath: A Literary Response to the Great Depression

Posted on Aug 26, 2024 in Religion

John Steinbeck & The Great Depression

The Great Depression

The Great Depression was an unprecedented, severe, and long economic downturn. Several factors contributed to its devastating impact:

  • Stock Market Crash of 1929: Led to widespread financial panic.
  • Bank Failures: Over 5,000 banks failed, resulting in the loss of savings and a halt in lending.
  • Low Consumerism: Job losses (over 25% unemployment) and foreclosures (600,000 homeowners) drastically reduced consumer spending.
  • Drought and the Dust Bowl: Severe drought and dust storms forced large-scale migration to the West.

The government response varied under President Herbert Hoover and, later, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who implemented the New Deal.

The New Deal: Relief, Recovery, Reform

The New Deal aimed to alleviate the suffering caused by the Great Depression through various programs:

  • Housing: Camps for migrant workers and the development of urban communities.
  • Home Loans: Assistance to prevent foreclosures and promote homeownership.
  • Manual Jobs: Creation of jobs in road construction, reforestation, and other public works projects.
  • Arts and Culture: Support for artists and writers through programs like the Federal Art Project and the Works Progress Administration (WPA), which included the creation of state guidebooks and the recording of oral histories from former slaves and immigrants.

Literature’s Response to the Great Depression

The Great Depression had a profound impact on American literature, leading to:

  • Socially Conscious Writing: Authors focused on the social and economic realities of the era.
  • Return to Realism: A renewed emphasis on portraying the lives of ordinary people with accuracy and detail.
  • Importance of Documentary: Writers documented the everyday lives and struggles of common Americans.

Previous writers in the realist tradition who influenced this trend included Theodore Dreiser (Sister Carrie, 1900) and Frank Norris (McTeague, 1899).

John Steinbeck: Life and Works

John Steinbeck’s life and literary career were deeply intertwined with the experiences of the Great Depression:

  • Early struggles as a freelance writer in New York and return to California.
  • Joined the League of American Writers (1935).
  • Tortilla Flat (1935): His first major success.
  • Of Mice and Men (1937): A poignant novella exploring themes of friendship and the American Dream.
  • The Grapes of Wrath (1939): His masterpiece, awarded the Pulitzer Prize, and adapted into a film the following year.
  • East of Eden (1952): A sprawling epic exploring themes of good and evil.
  • Journalism and War Correspondent during World War II.
  • Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1962.

The Grapes of Wrath (1939)

The Grapes of Wrath became an instant bestseller and a cultural phenomenon:

  • Awarded the Pulitzer Prize and adapted into a successful film.
  • Dealt with current events and became part of the national conversation, similar to Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
  • Generated controversy due to its depiction of social and economic injustices.
  • Achieved universal appeal despite its focus on social protest and its specific setting.
  • The Joad family became symbolic of the struggles of Okies, migrant workers, and the broader theme of the eternal immigrant.

Important Themes

  • Community and Brotherhood: The importance of solidarity and support in the face of adversity.
  • Survival and Human Endurance: The resilience of the human spirit in overcoming hardship.
  • Individual vs. Natural and Social Forces: The struggle against both environmental challenges and societal injustices.
  • Man’s Inhumanity to Man: The exploitation and mistreatment of the vulnerable by the powerful.
  • The Saving Power of Family and Fellowship: The strength and solace found in human connection.
  • The Dignity of Wrath: The righteous anger against injustice and the importance of maintaining self-respect.

Steinbeck’s Familiarity with His Material

Steinbeck’s deep understanding of the plight of migrant workers stemmed from:

  • Personal experience working on farms and ranches as a young man.
  • Field trips and visits to migrant camps, including a close friendship with a camp manager.
  • Living and working alongside laborers.
  • Journalism: His “Harvest Gypsies” series of articles for the San Francisco News provided firsthand accounts of the migrant experience.

Novel’s Structure

The Grapes of Wrath features a distinct structure:

  • Drought and Dispossession (Chapters 1-11): Introduction to the Joad family and their forced eviction from their Oklahoma farm.
  • The Journey (Chapters 12-18): The arduous journey westward on Route 66.
  • Arrival and Life in California (Chapters 19-30): The harsh realities of life as migrant workers in California.

Style: Fiction and Documentary

The novel blends fictional narrative with expository chapters (interchapters), similar to John Dos Passos’ U.S.A. trilogy:

  • Fictional Chapters: Focus on the Joad family and their experiences.
  • Expository Chapters (Interchapters): Provide broader context and social commentary, often using generalized characters, dramatized situations, dialogues, dialect, and an Old Testament style.

Influence of the Bible

The Bible heavily influences the novel’s language, imagery, and themes:

  • Syntax, Rhythm, and Tone: Echoes the biblical style.
  • Allusions and Parallelisms: The title alludes to “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” and the Book of Revelation; the Joads’ journey parallels the Israelites’ exodus; Rose of Sharon’s final scene evokes biblical imagery.
  • Potential Interpretation: Some scholars suggest the biblical allusions may have served to soften the novel’s Marxist undertones, making its radical message more palatable to a wider audience.

Religious Allusions

  • “And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the wine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God” (Book of Revelation, coming of the Apocalypse).
  • “In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, heavy for the vintage” (Interchapter).
  • “I am the Rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys” (The Song of Solomon).
  • “Take, eat, this is my body …” (The Last Supper).

Themes: Expanded

Man’s Inhumanity to Man

The novel highlights the stark division between the rich and the poor, the landowners and the tenants. The landowners, driven by greed and fear, exploit and dehumanize the migrant workers, perpetuating a cycle of poverty and suffering.

The Saving Power of Family and Fellowship

The Joad family’s unwavering loyalty and commitment to one another provide strength and resilience in the face of adversity. The novel emphasizes the importance of human connection and the formation of new kinships within the migrant community.

The Dignity of Wrath

The Joads’ refusal to be broken by their circumstances and their unwavering sense of justice underscore the importance of maintaining self-respect and fighting against oppression. Steinbeck suggests that righteous anger can be a source of strength and dignity.

Symbols

Rose of Sharon’s Pregnancy

Rose of Sharon’s pregnancy initially symbolizes hope for a new beginning. However, the stillbirth of her child represents the loss and hardship faced by the migrants. The final scene, where she offers her breast milk to a starving man, transforms the symbol into one of compassion and selfless generosity.

The Death of the Joads’ Dog

The dog’s death foreshadows the tragedies that await the Joad family and symbolizes the harsh realities of their journey. It also highlights the callous indifference of those in power towards the suffering of the vulnerable.