By the end of the film, The Grapes of Wrath, what lessons relate to the American political climate of the 1930s?
This is a literature based forum. I have provided you with an excerpt from Gradesaver's "About" page below.
The novel confronted and exposed the difficulties faced by this landless population, and it argued persuasively for the need to organize labor forces. When he prepared to publish the book, Steinbeck said, "I want to put a tag of shame on the greedy bastards who are responsible for this [the Great Depression and its effects]." After publication, he told a reporter that, "I've done my damndest to rip a reader's nerves to rags." Because of his staunch support for the working class, he won their praise and admiration. Critically acclaimed, the novel won the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize for fiction the year immediately after its publication, 1940. Its popular success matched the critical praise, and Hollywood produced a film adaptation of the novel in 1940, starring Jane Fonda and directed by John Ford, which was widely watched.
The Grapes of Wrath continues to influence readers and classrooms even though it is far removed from its historical context. It is still one of the most widely read novels in both high school and college classrooms. The novel has even continued to prompt further research, and just recently the Steinbeck Institute commissioned researchers to trace the path of the Joads. They reported that little has changed - a traveler that sets out from Oklahoma and goes towards California is met with wide expanses and difficult terrain, just like the Joads encountered. In more ways than one, The Grapes of Wrath is timeless.
