The Grapes of Wrath

By John Steinbeck

Title of The Grapes of WrathTitle of The Grapes of Wrath

“The Battle Hymn of the Republic” by Julia Ward Howe“Mine eyes have seen the coming of the glory of the Lord. He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored.

Title of The Grapes of WrathTitle of The Grapes of Wrath Revelation 14:19 –

“And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.”

Deuteronomy 32:32 –“Their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter.”

Jeremiah 31:29 – “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and their children’s teeth are set on edge.”

Title of The Grapes of Wrath in the novel

Title of The Grapes of Wrath in the novel

“Men ravenous for work, murderous for work. . . The granaries were full. . .And the anger began to ferment.” --Ch. 21

“In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage.”--Ch. 25

Setting/Historical BackgroundSetting/Historical Background

Dust Bowl—in the1930s and 40s Texas and Oklahoma were devastated by a severe drought that dried up the crops and caused extreme dust storms

The Great Depression—poor economic conditions left the farmers even more devastated, often forcing them to borrow money that they couldn’t pay back. This led to farmers being evicted from their land with no prospect of making a living.

The Great Migration—California fruit pickers advertised (too much) for the need of fruit pickers in California. Hoping for a better life, Oklahoma farmers left their ruined farms and head to California in droves.

Layers of the novelLayers of the novel1. An individual’s struggle for survival—Tom,

Jim Casy, Uncle John, Rose of Sharon, etc.2.One family’s struggle for survival—The Joads3. All migrant workers’ struggle from OK to Cali4. The entire nation’s struggle 5. Mankind’s struggle to comprehend his

commitment to his fellow man and the earth he inhabits.

Structure of the novelStructure of the novel

I. Plot chapters—a slow narrative that chronicles the Joad family’s journey. Filled with realism, dialogue, and regional dialect, and colloquial language.

Structure cont.Structure cont.II. Interchapters—fast-paced description

Moves from specific to general (from the Joads to all migrant workers) Look for POV shift.Provides historical background of California, migrant labor, economic factors in Cali

Structure cont.Structure cont.The interchapters allow Steinbeck

to change styles to establish mood for each chapter. Pay attention to the style of each interchapter as it is juxtaposed with the plot chapters.

InterchaptersInterchapters

Steinbeck revised these from a series of 1936articles he had written after he visited the migrant

camps. The articles wereentitled “The Harvest Gypsies.” He alsotraveled with a photographer in 1937throughout various migrant camps under the expectation of writing copy for the photos.

Literary PhilosophyLiterary PhilosophyRomanticism – “A literary or philosophical

theory that tends to see the individual at the center of all life, and it places the individual at the center of art. . .”

“idealization of rural life. . .interest in human life, sympathy with animal life. . . .”

(Harmon and Holman 452).What elements of Romanticism do you see in Grapes?

Literary PhilosophyLiterary Philosophy

Realism – “Fidelity to actuality in its representation”“Realists are believers in democracy, and the materials they elect to describe are the common, the average, the everyday”

(Harmon and Holman 428).What elements of Realism do you see in Grapes?

Literary PhilosophyLiterary Philosophy

Transcendentalism – ”an ideal spiritual state that 'transcends' the physical and empirical and is only realized through the individual's intuition, rather than through the doctrines of established religions.”

The Universal Being (Oversoul)What elements of Transcendentalism do you

see in Grapes?

Literary PhilosophyLiterary PhilosophyNaturalism – A response to the revolution in

thought that science has produced. These works tend to emphasize either a biological or socioeconomic determinism.

Naturalism –a. Biological determinism (animal nature of man in brutal struggle for survival)b. Socio-economic determinism (man is victim of his environmental forces.)

What elements of Naturalism do you see in Grapes?

Literary PhilosophyLiterary Philosophy

ModernismExperimentation in style and formAlienated charactersDisillusionment of a corrupted societyAllusive and symbolic

What elements of Modernism do you see in Grapes?

Steinbeck’s styleSteinbeck’s style“No other American novel has succeeded in forging and

making instrumental so many prose styles” (Bloom). 1. Diction and dialogue—natural and realistic 2. Narrative pace—changes frequently; syntax

variation 3. Allusion—mostly biblical; some historical and

political 4. POV shift—from “I” to “we” 5. Symbol—dust, turtle, bank, tractor, car, rain,

erosion, one-eyed junk man, etc.

Biblical AllusionsBiblical Allusions The travel west to the land of milk and honey-> the story of Exodus and Moses leading

the slaves to the Promised Land Uncle John sending the stillborn downriver->inversion to Moses in the basket Rose of Sharon-> “Earth Mother” and bride from “Song of Solomon” Jesus->Jim Casy=J.C.

Went into the wildernessSacrifices himselfdies a martyr's death, paraphrasing Christ's last words ("Forgive them, Father, for they know

not what they do") when he cries, "You don' know what you're a-doin." his teachings are delivered to the rest of the world as the result of this death; Tom is his

disciple

Thematic issuesThematic issues

Connection to the land Brotherhood of man Primacy of family Human being’s responsibility to one another Man’s ability to grow Shattering of the American Dream

“And there’s an end”“And there’s an end” Entire book moves toward the ending—out of

the greatest depths of despair comes the greatest assertion of faith

Intentionally ambiguous—”mysterious smile” Lack of closure—why? “ultimate triumph of a society based upon

nurturing and creativity”