Is the "Grapes of Wrath" Still Relevant Today?

As my choice novel this summer, I chose to read The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. Considered a classic work of American Literature, The Grapes of Wrath shares the story of the Joad family, focusing particularly on the character of Tom Joad.  The work chronicles the experiences of the family as they are evicted from their farm in Oklahoma and make their way to California, all the while battling the poverty of the depression-stricken nation.  Despite the work being focused on the historical event of the Great depression, The Grapes of Wrath, unlike many other great American novels, has succeeded in remaining relevant today.  The story of hardship is something many Americans can relate to, and this common ground shared with the book’s characters has allowed the novel to withstand the changes in pop culture, remaining one of the most popular novels ever written today.

The story’s main staying power rests in the reader connection to the plight of its main characters—the Joad family. The book may have been written about the great depression; however, the socioeconomic plight the characters are faced with is something that Americans in many decades can relate to. In the book the hardships faced, despite this historical connection, are not specifically attributed to the depression, not binding it to a specific historical period, but rather a theme central to America.

The Joad Family’s story is essentially an indictment of the unequal socioeconomic system that is central to a capitalist economy, such as the United States. The individual farmer was a representation of the last obstacle in transferring the labor class from being human to being a commodity and satisfying the capitalist owner’s dreams. In the novel, Steinbeck here saw the future of the American economic system, and the plight of the farmers. Although this has much to do with the Great Depression, it also is largely to do with the capitalist and socialist arguments present in the novel. Steinbeck foresaw that the system would cause workers to become more alienated and subjugated, placing power in the hands of a small and shrinking amount of people. This brings about the major theme of the novel that both reward and responsibility must be shared equally, and presents a strong contrast to the capitalist ideals.

The novel presents a questioning of these ideals with the incorporation of socialist ideals, and the connection of socialism to Christianity is often mentioned. Some, however, argue that Casy's words offer proof that socialism cannot be likened with Christ when he says: "Why do we got to hang it on God or Jesus? Maybe, I figgered, maybe it's all men an' all women we love; maybe that's the Holy Sperit -- the human sperit -- the whole shebang". On the surface it seems the criticism that Steinbeck is challenging belief in God is fitting, but placed in the context of the rest of the book, it becomes evident that Casy isn't unhappy with Jesus or God, but instead in the way religion has used the Bible for its own political agenda. In reality, Casey is proposing something even more essential than socialism: that people would be better if they followed Christ in teaching to love others.

This is relevant today because of the political magnitude in addition to the story of economic hardship. It also comments on the tendency of society to stray from Christs’ wishes and towards societal and economic wishes.