The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Happy 6th of July everybody! I hope everyone enjoyed their Independence Day celebrations. I spent my holiday on the beach… with my laptop… reading a Grapes of Wrath ebook. Fun Stuff. At any rate, I managed to finish right before the fireworks started!

This book came at an extremely appropriate time, as I have been recently interested in the migrations to the west in the 1800s. Those trips were obviously extremely dangerous and traveler-unfriendly (ever heard about the Donner Party? Yikes) due to the unknown wilderness ahead of them.

By the 1930's, the time period in which The Grapes of Wrath is set, much was known about the West. The route was well-traveled, and thanks to cars, the trip was much faster.

Of course, Steinbeck has his main characters, The Joads, face a different set of problems. Instead of battling the elements, the Joads battle deceitful "corporate farmers" who pay intolerable wages. Their struggle to make it to the promised land (and then, ultimately, to survive) is heartbreaking and poignant.

The 3rd and 4th chapter of the book begins with a verbose description of a land turtle struggling to make it across the road. In the passage, the turtle, while constantly badgered by passing vehicles and humans, is determined to make it to his final destination. While the passage in question can be read here, what matters is that the turtle is later seen wandering off into the horizon, hopeful of success. To me, this turtle is an excellent foreshadowing of the trouble and hardships the Joads' face on their own journey. Just as Tom Joad watches the turtle with a sense of wonder, the reader is amazed at the pain and perseverance one family can go through.

I thought the novel was an excellent history of the times these Dust Bowlers lived in. Unlike Sons and Lovers, this one did have a nice story-arc. However, I was expecting it to be a little longer. I felt that the book spent too much time on the journey, and too little time on the hardships in California.

Next up: Under the Volcano, ie. the only book on the list that no one in my family had heard of!