Grapes of Wrath: long blog

I believe Steinbeck’s techniques in The Grapes of Wrath, are similar to other authors and he doesn’t have many unique or different ways of telling his stories. I do believe he is good at presenting his words in a way that people can follow along and picture each scene and person in their head, but I believe is also like a lot of other authors. I believe he makes people question the meaning of life, and when we are thrown with challenges how we will rise above them, or not. One of the most outstanding quotes in the novel is “There ain’t no sin and there ain’t no virtue. There’s just stuff people do.” Which is a sentence that can be taken in two ways. Either the reader agrees with Steinbeck’s words, and that people have their own choice of how to live their lives, and that there is no defining word of right or wrong, it is just how people react to certain situations. Or there are the people that believe there is something after this life, and sin and virtue are different choices that people can make. That there is a certain code that most humans live by and that there are consequences for people’s actions and life is more than “just stuff people do.” 

Steinbeck titled the novel “The Grapes of Wrath” for more than one reason. The definition of it is an unjust or oppressive situation, that may inflame desire for vengeance. I believe Steinbeck used this title to describe the Dust Bowl era, and how challenging it was for families, but he also used this title for a deeper meaning. He used this title with the hope that readers can be content with the fact that we really don’t know why bad things happen, good things happen, and we don’t really know why we are on this earth. So not knowing, can be an uncomfortable, or unjust situation, but it is how we react to those situations that matter, which is more than just sin or virtue. 

Going into the different writing techniques Steinbeck uses, the way he transfers the chapters between the Joad’s family and the farmers and describing the environment of the Dust Bowl, I find to be interesting. Although it is a little harder to understand and keep track of what is happening throughout the novel with the switches back and forth, this unique way of telling the story I find compelling. I also like how much Jim Casy has a part in the Joad chapters and how Tom Joad isn’t the only the main focus, and not the only character trying to find themselves or their purpose. I do wish that Steinbeck would have gone into more detail or had some chapters dedicated to the younger siblings, and following them through their thoughts and journeys and seeing the other characters through their eyes. 

The ending of the novel is definitely different, which I believe is needed in a novel, especially a “Great American Novel.”  Although I don’t know if I would have used this for an ending, Steinbeck really highlights the humanity part of our world, and how in the end we are all just children. We may have responsibilities, bills to pay, jobs, people to look after, experiences we have gone through, but in the end, we all need each other to live, and we are all children deep down that make mistakes and are never perfect. 

So in conclusion, I believe the Grapes of Wrath, is indeed a “Great American Novel” and I think it brings so many deeper meanings and aspects together to make the reader interpret and truly think about on a deeper level. Steinbeck uses many characters in the story, he breaks up his chapters in unique and different ways, he has a very interesting ending of the novel, and he presents his writing in a professional, but real and easy to understand way. Also, he took a real part of history and turned it into a fascinating and complex story with problems not only of the Dust Bowl, but with characters finding their identity, community purpose, love, and sense of humanity which I believe are all core themes we need in our lives.