John Steibeck
John Steinbeck, was born on February 27, 1902, in Salinas, California. He was an American author and one of the leading figures in 20th-century literature. His life and work were deeply connected with the landscapes and people of his native California, particularly the Salinas Valley, which he often referred to as the “Salad Bowl of the Nation.” Steinbeck’s upbringing in a modest, middle-class family instilled in him a deep sense of empathy for the working class and a keen observation of the human condition.
Steinbeck’s early education was marked by a love for literature and a great curiosity about the world around him. He attended Stanford University intermittently between 1919 and 1925, but never graduated, choosing instead to pursue his writing career. His first novel, “Cup of Gold,” was published in 1929, but it was his later works that brought him widespread acclaim.
Steinbeck’s breakthrough came with “Tortilla Flat” written in 1935, a humorous and poignant tale of a group of paisanos (Mexican-Americans) living in Monterey, California. This novel established his unique narrative style, which blended realism with a lyrical prose that captured the essence of his characters and their surrounding environment. His subsequent works, such as “In Dubious Battle” (1936) and “Of Mice and Men” (1937), further consolidated his reputation as a writer of profound social commentary.
“Of Mice and Men” is perhaps Steinbeck’s most famous work, a novella that explores the themes of friendship, loneliness, and the American Dream through the story of two migrant workers, George Milton and Lennie Small. The novel’s emotional depth and powerful narrative have made it a staple in literature classes worldwide.
Steinbeck’s magnum opus, “The Grapes of Wrath” published in April 1939, is a sweeping epic that chronicles the struggles of the Joad family as they migrate from Oklahoma to California during the Great Depression. The novel won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1940 and is widely regarded as one of the greatest American novels of the 20th century. It highlights Steinbeck’s commitment to social justice and his ability to portray the human experience with unparalleled empathy.
Throughout his career, Steinbeck traveled extensively, visiting to Mexico, Europe, and the Soviet Union drawing inspiration for further books during the course of his journeys.
Steinbeck received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1962, an honor that recognized his contributions to American literature and his ability to capture the essence of the human experience. He continued to write until his death on December 20, 1968, leaving behind a legacy that continues to inspire readers and writers alike.
John Steinbeck’s life and work are a testament to his enduring commitment to storytelling and his unwavering belief in the power of literature to illuminate the human condition. His novels, short stories, and non-fiction works remain timeless classics, cherished for their depth, empathy, and unparalleled insight into the human experience.
Grapes of Wrath
Summary:
During the great Depression, Tom Joad hitchhikes home after being paroled from Oklahoma state penitentiary. Along the way, he encounters Jim Casy, a preacher whom Tom remembers from childhood. Casy explains that he is no longer a preacher, having lost his calling. He still believes in the Holy Spirit however, but not necessarily the spirituality mandated by organized religion. For Casy, the Holy Spirit is love. Not just simply the love of God or Jesus, but the love of all humans. He asserts that all people are holy, eachone being part of the soul of mankind. Tom invites Casy to join him on his walk home.
The following morning they arrive at what was once the Joad farm, Tom and Casy find it abandoned. A neighbour called Muley Graves, approaches them and informs Tom that his family has been tractored off their land by the bank. They have moved in with his Uncle John, and are preparing to go to California to look for work. Tom and Casy spend the night near the deserted farm and head to Uncle John’s early the next morning.
When Tom and Casy arrive, the family is preparing for their journey to California. Casy asks if he can journey west with them. The Joads agree to take him along, once their belongings have been sold, everyone except Grandpa is anxious to get on the road. They pack the truck, but Granpa has decided he wants to stay on the land, and they are forced to drug Granpa in order to get him in the truck. Come dawn they are on the highway.
The first evening the family stops next to a migrant couple whose car has broken down. The Wilsons are kind and offer the use of their tent to the Grandfather, but unfortunately during the night has a stroke and dies. Tom and Al fix the Wilson’s car, and the two families decide contnue the trip together.
In New Mexico, the Wilson’s car breaks down again, and the families are forced to stop. Granma has become increasingly following Granpa’s death, therefore Tom suggests the others take the truck and continue on. Ma refuses to go, insisting that the family must stay together. She picks up the jack handle to support her point, and the rest of the family gives in. As they reach the desert bordering California, Sairy Wilson becomes so ill that she is unable to continue. The Joads leave the Wilsons and continue across the California desert on their own.
Granma’s health continues to deteriorate as the truck starts its nighttime trek across the desert, Ma knows that Granma isn’t going to survive. Aware that they cannot afford to stop, Ma lies in the back of the truck with Granma. Midway across the desert, Granma dies. By dawn, the Joads have slowly left the desert and scaled the hill, once at the top they stop the truck to gaze down upon the beautiful Bakersfield valley. Ma informs them that Granma has passed away. She has to be buried as destitute person because the family doesn’t have enough money to pay for a proper funeral.
The Joads stop at the first camp they arrive at , a dirty makeshift of tents and improvised shelters. The men of the group are talking to Floyd Knowles, a young man of the camp, when a businessman accompanied by a policeman offers them work. When Floyd asks for a wage guaranteed in writing, he is accused of being a “red,” and the policeman tries to arrest him. Tom trips the policeman up and Casy kicks him. When the policeman regains consciousness, Casy gives himself up to the law so as to divert attention away from Tom. The Joads immediately leave the camp to avoid any further trouble.
The Joads travel further south to a government-run camp in Weedpatch. Here, this community governs itself, electing committees to deal with clean-up, discipline, and entertainment. The Joads are comfortable here but after a month, are still unable to find employment and come to the conclusion that they must move on.
Eventually they are offered work picking peaches in Tulare. The camp gate is surrounded by a large group of men shouting and gesticulating. The Joads, escorted through the gate by state police, begin work immediately. They are paid five cents a box, not enough for a daily meal. After the first day of picking, Tom wanders outside the ranch. He meets up with Jim Casy, who is leading the strike against the landlords of the peach orchard who want to pay two-and-a-half cents a box. Tom learns that his family is being paid five cents because they are working as strikebreakers. As the two are talking, authorities sneak up searching for Casy, the alleged leader of the strike. Unprovoked, one of the men strikes Casy on the head, killing him. Without thinking, Tom begins beating Casy’s killer. The other men intervene, and Tom’s nose is broken. He manages to escape by hiding in the peach orchard until he is able reach his house.
Due to his scarred face and broken nose, Tom becomes a fugitive, hidden by his family. The Joads flee the ranch at first daylight. Subsequently they find work picking cotton and share an empty boxcar with another family, the Wainwrights. Tom hides in a nearby cave, and his mother brings him food. The family is comfortable for a while, earning enough to eat meat daily. One day, however, young Ruthie gets in a fight with another child. She threatens to call her big brother who is hiding because he has killed two men. Ma rushes to tell Tom he must leave for his own safety. Tom agrees and leaves with plans to carry on the social work that Jim Casy has begun.
Al gets engaged to sixteen-year-old Agnes Wainwright. As the cotton picking slows, the rains come. It rains steadily, and the water levels begin to rise. The night that Rose of Sharon goes into labor, the river threatens to flood the boxcar. Pa, Uncle John, Al and the rest of the men try to build an embankment to contain the river, but are unsuccessful. Rose Sharon’s baby is stillborn.
After a few days, the rain subsides. Leaving Al and the Wainwrights, the remaining Joads abandon the boxcar for higher ground. They find shelter in an old barn already occupied by a boy and his starving father. The child tells the Joads that his father has not eaten in six days and is unable to keep down solid food. Rose of Sharon offers him the breast milk no longer needed for her own child. The others leave the barn as she cradles the dying man to her breast.