The Grapes of Wrath Survive to Teach Us Today
Word Count: 875
The Grapes of Wrath will always be a tool for which we as a society can learn from. It teaches us to be happy and sad, but most importantly it teaches us that we are a whole and we are one. The philosophy that the story suggests is and will always be relevant to the present.
In today's society, knowing the details about every issue in the public's mind is impossible for a politician. The politician, instead, has a basic philosophy on the way things should be done, and he or she bases their decisions on that philosophy. Many writers in American Literature have tried to instill the philosophy of their choosing into the reader of their manuscript or poetry. Authors like Steven King who has brought the evil spirits out of the closet and John Grishom who slaps us with the reality of our government system.
John Steinbeck was no exception back in his day. When traveling through his native California countryside in the mid-1930's, Steinbeck witnessed people living in appalling circumstances and in absolute poverty, with almost no help coming from the state of California and very little federal government support. Steinbeck wanted to change the situation of the suffering people, mostly farmers like the Joads. Steinbeck also wanted to suggest a philosophy into the reader to insure that this suffering of one leads to the suffering of us all. The beginning of the Great Depression in 1929 was tragic for the worlds. America's midwest was especially hard hit because of over-farming the land.
In The Grapes of Wrath, the idea of there being not a collection of individual souls, but one collective soul that is benefited by the actions of others is very strong. Jim Casey, the fallen preacher stated this point in the third chapter. He says that, "Maybe all men got one big soul ever'body's a part of. Now I sat there thinkin' an' all of a suddent-I knew it. I knew it so deep down that it was true- and still I do" The Grapes of Wrath page 31. This seems to go against the ideas that Emerson wrote a century earlier. Emerson's thought was that of self-reliance and individualism is the key to happiness, while Steinbeck rejects that idea for the thought that a collective happiness is the way to total happiness. The American system started out and is still sum what based on the thoughts and rights of the individual. However, democracy is for the rights of the majority and not to be influenced by the path of the individual. I believe society today relies more on each other as a whole than as individuals. We ban together when we have problems. Most people that set out on their own to accomplish something today often fail. I think that Steinbeck uses this theory in his analogy of the soul, and in the transition of the Joads.
The Joads at first are only concerned with the well-being of the family, but witnessing the suffering of the many other farmers changes their views. The Joads realize that only through a collective effort, can the Okies overcome the appalling circumstances in which they are forced to live. The thoughts, actions, and even the oral communication of the Joads change through the novel. The change is set in the very setup of the chapters. Steinbeck uses alternating chapters in the novel to tell the story. The even numbered chapters are dedicated to the tale of the Joads' situations, while the odd numbered chapters depict the images and movement of the entire country. The even numbered chapters are like the movies on television, giving you insight to life and emotions. The odd numbered chapters give you a good over view of things like the news.
The book has been criticized by many people. The criticism that steamed from the release of The Grapes of Wrath would have been less severe if the critics had interpreted the meaning instead of becoming hung up on the facts of the novel itself. The philosophy that John Steinbeck introduced was not widely taken up, as it is anti-American, but The Grapes of Wrath gives a wonderful insight into the thoughts of man during a suffering period. To those modern critics who insist that The Grapes of Wrath is a period novel, only valid during the time it was written, I suggest that they take the copies of Huckleberry Finn off their shelves also. They are not valid in modern times either. Is that ever a joke.
Society grows better by learning from generations past. The best way to get first hand accounts are to read books written in that time. It is the best history book printed. No text book is going to provide you with the feelings and emotions the the Okies had. I believe that no person will survive alone, but together we are strong and can learn from the past mistakes and make our own for our kids to learn from. It is a never ending cycle. I don't thick that William Shakespeare would believe the vast knowledge that we actually gain about medieval times and the Elizabethan age. I leave you with one thought; society molds the future only by our misfortunes.