John Steinbeck was a journalist of a great style. The adventure with The Grapes of Wrath started of writing 6 articles that inspired John along with famous pictures of Northern Americans struggling in time of Great Depression in 1929. "In reality, farmers had been in a deep economic slump since about 1920, compounded by the environmental disaster of the Dust Bowl in 1934 and the social tragedy of the Okies' immigration to California." Cotton fields that were so profitable for the farmers led to exploitation of the fields and there was nothing else left but dust storms and people were without work. Market was overloaded and in 1929 it fell and 16mln shares had to change their chains, and cut on spending. Banks were giving credits in high rates of interest, and having workers without jobs people had to start drastic saving. Even middle class people who were used to looking down on working class people, faced bankruptcy.Homelessness was spreading and dust storms took over the farms. Having no money ‘Hooverville people’ (from president Hoover) had to give away their lands to the banks. 3000 people went West hoping for the better future which reflected a romantic vision of route 66 leading to California, which was a highway that was built in 1926 especially for the year of the depression. Californian’s benefited from high numbers of workers as they could keep the masses of cheap workers filling the market.
The controversial plot and anti-capitalist character of the novel caused numerous protests and even prohibiting of distribution of the book in some schools and libraries in the United States. In research for the book Steinbeck went to California with the workers and lived amongst them to get the feeling of what was it like to be ‘Okies’ and be forced to live in such minimalistic conditions as the migrants did. There was a lot of criticism also because Steinbeck made his wealth on the book and was accused of using the workers to become rich. On the other hand his book was seen as an effective propaganda written in a journalistic style, fact reporting piece. He was a journalist who was trying to make a difference and turned himself into a creative and empathetic author and therefore, he could have an angle and engage people’s feelings or even work readers’ reaction to make them act on what they read. And so he was fully entitled to be pro-migration, anti-fascist left wing propagandist.
In chapter 3 author uses prophetic allegory, when the journey of the family has descriptions in between events trying to say it’s not only one family’s problem but it’s an issue touching the whole society. Also, on the example of Wilsons, in the book as well as in the movie Steinbeck shows that there will be always help from poor people and that family is the key and that mothers keep them together.The novel describes an incredibly visual and realistic story of an American family, sharecroppers, that was forced to leave Oklahoma because of the Great Depression that caused an incredibly difficult economic situation in the country. The action goes on in America and shows the problems of people living in Southern part of the United States that led to a mass migration towards California.
The novel focuses on the community and shows struggles of Northern American farmers who were brutally exploited in 1920 and 1930. Steinbeck made the book as visual and rich in descriptions as possible to be able to share his visual experiences with his readers. He waned to show his journalistic vision on problem of migration. He aimed to cause a reaction, awake anger, rise awareness and bring empathy to his reader hoping that after reading it something will be done about it. He tried to engage the reader with people’s loss, in America loosing a land is like loosing dignity. The author believed that there was a bond between the land and people (17 century philosopher, Locke had an idea that everyone has natural rights).American’s constitution followed Locke’s idea and created a right to own a property and right to fight for that property, and these two were the key to the American dream. Grapes of Wrath describes how people tried to refuse to have their properties taken away as that was like a part of American’s DNA to owe the land. The book is made of three parts, and has a direct reference to a biblical journey of Egyptians to their promised land (Revelations) ‘we are the people of the promised land’, symbolically, Jim Casy a former preacher who lost his faith after committing fornication with willing members of his church, is identified with Jesus Christ(also his initials JC), and from his perception that religion has no solace or answer for the difficulties the people are experiencing (‘They don’t know what you are doing’said by Jesus Christ after being crucified).
The book won a Pulitzer prise in 1940s and Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962, and also a movie was created based on the novel.
Inspiration:
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinback (book and film)
Winchester University Journalism Course
History and Context of Journalism Part III, Lecture from week 7 and 8
http://www.uam.ucsb.edu/Pages/trevey/representing-america/represent.html
