John Steinbeck, Peter Lisca, Kevin Hearle - The Grapes of Wrath: John Steinbeck Centennial Edition (1902-2002)

Though it took me along time to chug through Steinbeck's masterpiece novel, I found it to be one of the more invigorating novels I've read in a long time. It had both outstanding character and setting development, as well as a clear social message. To summarize the idea to friends, I like to call it a literary The Jungle. The book, in many aspects, parallel's Upton Sinclair's most prized work only, in my opinion, The Grapes of Wrath reads as an adventure following the plight of a lost family and a lost way of life, rather than The Jungle's tendencies to lean towards straightforward socialist propaganda.

Steinbeck masterfully develops the Joad family, most notably Ma, Pa, and Tom. As one remembers the novel's beginning, there is clear development and depth behind these characters. The growth and realizations are astounding.

And the novel's ending...I was shocked. As I read the last ten pages or so, I found myself wondering just how Steinbeck would end such a depressing tale. Would he have another tragedy, this one so great that it came as a climax of sorts? Would there be a moment of great joy? Instead, Steinbeck found the perfect middle ground, the perfect spice that the novel needed, offering hope, showing that the poor are not the Okie scum of the earth.

Steinbeck looks negatively and inquisitively at both capitalism (specifically banks and ranches) and at technology (the machinization of labor). He writes The Grapes of Wrath not in a preachy fashion, but in a manner that the reader feels they are being shown a point of view, but do not have to listen if they don't choose to do so.