Rating: 
Summary: Good Book
Review: Thats what it is a good book.
Rating:
Summary: The voice of a million oppressed workers
Review: Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath" is a fictionalized account of the plight of migrant farm workers in California during the Great Depression. Dust storms and poor irrigation have turned large areas of farmland in the prairie states into a Dust Bowl. Tenant farmers, unable to grow crops and pay rent to their landlords, have been forced off their land by the banks. The starving farmers are lured to California by the promise of plentiful fruit-picking jobs, only to find it an unattainable paradise.The novel follows the pilgrimage of an Oklahoma family named the Joads and their friend, a former preacher named Jim Casy. When the novel begins, Tom Joad has just gotten out of prison and returns home to find that his family is one of the many that have been dispossessed by the land-owning company. They are preparing to drive to California to seek better farming opportunities. The road to California is a wasteland of unfriendly cops, opportunistic salesmen, unemployed drifters, and lonely souls, all seen from the vista of the Joads' rickety truck. The chapters alternate between the Joads' specific experiences and interludes that give a sort of large-scale third-party perspective to the general plight of the land and the people. Once in the fertile valleys of central California, the Joads learn the reality of the job situation: The farm owners have lured many more people than necessary to fill the available jobs, so they get to hire those who are willing to work for the least money. The surplus of migrant farm workers group together in encampments called Hoovervilles and wait desperately for news about new jobs, while they are forced to face the hostility of the locals who call them "Okies" and consider them wage-deflating scabs. The living conditions are deplorable and the Joads can barely afford the most meager of food. The Joads eventually find work picking peaches at a large farm that operates almost like a labor camp, with armed guards stationed around to ensure there are no worker uprisings. It is here that Casy, who has been rallying for worker unionization, is martyrized when he is killed by a goon trying to break up a worker strike. Towards the end of the book, in Tom's "farewell" speech to his mother, Steinbeck conveys his message of the importance of worker organization and unionization to prevent exploitation by employers. "The Grapes of Wrath" is thoroughly depressing to the very end. It has been accused of being too didactic and heavy-handed, but it's a book that needed to be written and one that took a lot of guts to do so. Who else but Steinbeck could have treated the downtrodden with so much dignity and sympathy without being condescending? Who else could have invested so much detail in even the seemingly least important characters, such as the one-eyed man in the junkyard, the storekeeper at the peach farm, and the fervently religious Lisbeth Sandry, making them unforgettable symbols of humanity? This book is an education. After reading it, everything else seems shallow.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Grapes
Review: This is the best novel I have read since "The Choosen". It truely does show the hardships the Joads went through on their search for work and home during the 1930's depression era. Although it does have an uncanny ending, I suggest you read it!
Rating:
Summary: America's greates novel!
Review: "The Grapes of Wrath," written in 1939 by John Steinbeck, is a book about the Great Depression, and one poor sharecropper family's struggle to survive the worst deprivations that American society in the 1930's had to offer. Indeed, perhaps no American work of fiction fits the label of "The Great American Novel" better than Steinbeck's wonderfully written and still highly controversial masterpiece of fiction. Set in the 1930's, in America's "Dust Bowl," this is the tale of the Joad family, a large clan of poor Oklahoma sharecroppers, and how they are forced into a decision to migrate to California. It's also the story of the many trials and sufferings that they endure during their long and harrowing journey. Forces of nature and the forces of economics have conspired to force the Joads off their farms. So, this proud, hard-working family, sells most of their worldly possessions in order to buy a run-down old jalopy. The whole family - Ma and Pa; Granma and Granpa; Tom (the oldest son, and an ex-convict recently paroled from prison); Al (Tom's younger brother); Uncle John (Pa's brother); Ruthie and Winfield (Ma and Pa's youngest children); the heavily pregnant Rose of Sharon (Tom's younger sister) and her husband Connie; and the Reverend Jim Casy (a family "friend") - pack themselves, along with their essential goods, aboard their decrepit old vehicle, and depart for the "promised land" on America's west coast. The vast majority of this compelling novel tells the story of the Joads' plight while on the road. They are almost immediately confronted with the death of a loved one. This compounds their grief at the loss of their home and possessions. They find that most people they meet along the way despise, reject, and vilify them as dirty, filthy "Okies;" they receive aid and comfort from very few along their route. Yet, they remain undaunted; throughout their struggles, they remain focused on the ultimate realization of a dream: jobs, high pay, and a new life in California. The great climax of "The Grapes of Wrath" sees the Joads once again suffering in unspeakable squalor as they attempt to survive the violent forces of nature and humanity in this, the great western "promised land." The basic plot of "The Grapes of Wrath" is exciting, suspenseful, gripping, and possessed with a terrible beauty. It is written perhaps in the finest traditions of the early twentieth century "muckraking" novels, exposing, as it does, the worst societal ills that were prevalent in American society of the 1930's. This book serves as Steinbeck's soapbox, as he deplores the exploitation of California's migrant workers during this era. Indeed, the author is frequently barely able to contain his moral outrage at the sufferings of thousands of "Okies," and their often violent treatment by landowners, businessmen, and even law enforcement officials. "The Grapes of Wrath" abounds with wonderful character studies. The effects of indescribable suffering and abject poverty give Ma Joad the steel to evolve from her traditional role as a silent, obedient wife to become the true leader of the family. Conversely, Pa Joad's traditional role seems to diminish; he recognizes the fact, and, after only brief resistance, he defers to his wife's new role. Tom, ever so careful not to do anything to jeopardize his parole at the outset, finds himself increasingly outraged at his family's plight, and emboldened to action as a result. This novel's central theme is still as relevant today as it was in 1939: the growing disparity between the "haves" - the rich - and the "have nots" - the poor. Perhaps this is the real reason why the book still generates such controversy. It holds a mirror up to us, and forces us to confront some unpleasant truths that we, as an "enlightened" society, would rather not face. And that, in itself, makes this brilliant book well worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: BREAKS YOUR HEART!
Review: This is John Steinbeck's finest work! It is truly a heart-breaking story. In The Grapes of Wrath you see capitalism at its worst, at its most hateful. The common man is nothing but scum. There is a lot of cussing in this book, which I did not appreciate, but that's Steinbeck. He is still a genius. The ending is a real shocker! I never dreamed it would end this way, and when it came, I couldn't believe it! It depicted, in no uncertain terms, the devastating, unspeakable hunger of a human being and the compassion of another human being in attempting to assuage that hunger. I saw the movie twice; once before I read the book, and then again after having read the book. The first time I saw the film, I thought it was great, but after having read the book, the second time I saw the movie, it just did not measure up at all; it was a real disappointment. I think Hollywood did a mediocre job of trying to bring The Grapes of Wrath to the big screen. It just didn't work, and of course the ending in the book couldn't possibly have been shown on the screen, not way back in those days, nor in these modern times of anything goes. It simply would not be possible. Is your curiosity aroused? Then read the book. The Grapes of Wrath is not merely a novel; it is a soul-searing experience!
Rating:
Summary: The Wrath of Grapes
Review: To be honest with you, when I first picked up this book, I didn't think I was in for anything special. After all, I had read Steinbeck's "The Pearl" in eighth grade and was not impressed. BUT, much to my surprise, "The Grapes of Wrath" really captured my interest with its stark realism. It's a novel of drama, yes, but it's also one of adventure, of a group of ordinary people (made into extraordinary characters by Steinbeck's writing prowess) struggling against their dire situation. I found myself loathing the employers that mistreated the Joad family. The antagonists seem to be driven by an irrational McCarthyism, fearing that the farmers pose a communist threat to the American system. The flow of this novel is uninterrupted, and Steinbeck sprinkles the plot with plenty of interesting secondary characters and locales to keep your interest. Don't despair if you have to read this book for school, you'll have a fine time reading it. It may be a classic, but that doesn't mean it's boring.
Rating: 
Summary: Critical Review
Review: The Grapes of Wrath, written by John Steinbeck, is a non-fiction book, story about the Joads' family during in time of 1930's. This book can be simply described as story of a tenant's family who struggles to maintain their lives, but there's more than that. What makes this story beautiful is the author's intention to tell the readers a message called love through the story of them. The love in the story isn't romantic, but it's love within families and neighbors. The family in center of the story is about to kick out from their land. They have a son who just came out of the prison. Also a pseudo priest had joined in the family. Their occupations and situation they're in are worthless, but their love to other members is enormous. Each family member shows love and faith to the others, and it ties them all as one. They dream to have stabilized life in California, but they end up losing every thing they had. Still love remains in their heart. The family shares their love to the strangers. They offer what they could give even though they end up in a situation of barely feeding themselves, which hardly can happen. The family thinks of others who are in worse situation than them first. In the story, the love they shows to the others is big enough to revive the society where obeys nothing but money, power, and egoism. After reading this book, you'll be able to think how big the love of your family is. You also might get a chance to think about egoism, whether you weren't selfish at all. Then you'll learn that love still remains in this world even though people are becoming more world lings. Probably that's what the author wanted to say. The author's message was love to the family and others, but he also intended to give deep emotion to the readers. Therefore, he had set the characters' situation as worth as it could be, and still showing love to their neighbors. This gave the story less reality. When people lose their house, car, and got nothing left to eat, they don't have extra time to think about the others. That's how people are like. The author might want to change basic thoughts of people being selfish, but it made the story unrealistic. If I were the author, I would end the story as happy ending, such as reunite of the family, so the family got what they have deserved for sharing their foods and love to the others. That's more realistic. The theme of the story is love. Love is the one that makes every life in the world work properly. It isn't money or power that people satisfy with, but it is love that makes people satisfy, through their hearts too. This book shows this fact well, and is recommended to read at least once. This book is recommended to teens and older who lived to be financially rich or be famous. Once those people read this, they may get a chance to look back the life they had lived. Also they'll learn being financially rich isn't the best life, and there is nothing happier than giving and receiving love from others.
Rating:
Summary: The other face of Capitalism!
Review: An extremely touching tale of a family seeking greener pastures, this book will surely change the way you look at big time capitalistic maneuvers. No denying that the big corporations brought the deadly efficiency and productivity to major markets, but in the face of all the success, one would tend to forget the millions of people who suffered for most of their lives to make way for the changes. It also brings us up close to the situations during post-depression times which drove people to abject poverty and suffering. The kind of treatment the characters of the book undergo due to the policies of the rich landowners will surely make you shudder with shock. People can be so cruel at times to their own fellow beings that it is hard to comprehend the reasons behind such behavior! Inspite of all the adversity, the characters in the book exude a level of endurance that is truly heartening. Anyone who reads this book will definitely face life's problems in a far more spirited and never-say-die manner. It definitely redefines one's conception of adversity and pain! I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about the happenings which have moulded modern America. If not for the historical insight, this book is a fantastic journey into man's calibre to face challenges. One could read it just to discover the emotional strength of Ma in the Joad family. I am sure this is a book to be remembered for a lifetime!
Rating:
Summary: Steinbeck Rages Against The Ravages Of Capitalism
Review: It's hard to know how to begin talking about a novel with as many threads running through it as the The Grapes Of Wrath. For me, it's primarily the story of how capitalism, initially a benign force, became the ravenous "monster" that it is today. But to portray The Grapes Of Wrath as merely some sort of leftist tract is to betray its power, its depth. It's the kind of novel that you're constantly quoting to people as you read it, picking it up and saying, "Hey, listen to this...". It's simply one of the finest American novels I've ever read.
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully Written!
Review: This book is a major classic. The story flows and leads the reader into the depths of the Great Depression. Amazingly accurate and increasingly personal, the story about the Joads is very emotional. The book starts out with Tom Joad getting out from prison and expecting life to be as it was. But it isn't, instead his family is about to get kicked off the land by "the monster bank owners in the east". As the story progresses, Steinbeck tells of their journey to California. The place where all their dreams will come true. But dreams aren't always reality. When the Joads finally reach California, their fantasies and visons are all shattered as they slowly realize and witness the evils of humanity. The ending is so profoundly emotional. After I finished the book, I sat there with the book in my lap, just thinking about the ending. So amazingly written. Touching and beautiful. Definately Recommended.
|
