GRAPES OF WRATH: A BANNED BOOK

Abstract:

This research-paper, based on a banned book “Grapes of Wrath” written by Jhon Stienbeck in
1939, is a quantitative research and will focus on the political, ecnomical, and social conditions
of America during the Great Dippression. The causes and effects of Great Dipression on socio-
political and cultural norms of American society. The life of working class deprived under the
high taxs on their lands and the development of aristocrates by occupying the land of poor tenant
farmers and evict from their homes. The wrong use of power by cops to force the labours to do
work for aristocrates on low payments. The attrocities on the migrant laborers caused the raise of
militancy and crime.The connection of morality with freedom and rights of people. The
discrimination between people of cities and those who come from the remote areas.

The paper will also look upon the conditions that made people burn and ban this book. How
much reality is shown in the book and what took this book to be a famous and award winning.
The connection between the book and the life of the author. The effective use of language, genre,
and due to the historical context and enduring legacy made this book a part of American
literature. The harsh criticism on using strong language and socio-political implications. The
book being the hope for the working class and the migraiant laborers. The use of religion within
the book and relating some of the characters to the Christ figure. The role of literature for being
the voice of oppressed people and an eye opening for the society. These are some objectives that
we will be discussing through out this paper.

Keywords: Great Dippression, America, Aristocrates, Banned, Criticism.

 GRAPES OF WRATH: A BANNED BOOK

1. Introduction:

The Great Dipression began with Wall Street crash in Oct 1929 the stock market crashmarked the
beginning of a decade of high unemployment, poverty, low-profits, deflation, plunging farm
incomes and lost oppertunities for econmic growth as well as for personal advancement. All
together, there was a loss of confidence in the econmic future. The usuall explinations include
numerous factors, especially high consumer debts, irregulated markets that permitted over
optimistic loans by banks and investors. The lack of high growth new industries these all
interacted to creat a downward econmic spiral of reduced soending , falling confidence and
lowerd production industries that sufferd the most included connstruction, shipping, minning,
logging, and agricultuure (compounded by dust bowl conditions in the heartland).

Great Dipression was very crucial, in the beginning of 1930’s it was difficult for almost every
one to survive this ecnomic fall. Those who had little to begin with, it created the circumstances
that were unbearable for them and in this sect of community, most of them were teanets. Due to
the drought and poor farming-practicies, especially in Oklahoma, Arkanas, Colorado, Kansa, and
Texas, lead to the erosion of topsoil. This was very awful and horrible condition that all these
areas were labelled as Dust Bowl. Moreover, at nearly the same time the tractors came into play
and enabled large landowners to dispense with the labour of farmers who were tenants on their
land. By the late 30’s approximately 1.8 million tenant farmers were evicted from their homes.

The homeless tenant farmers were looking for some jobs and the sought some work in the
“promised land” of California. However, according to the records, there were as many as 30,000
migriants in the California that was a large number and the “promised land” could not offer job
for every one of them. Instead, the working class of California itself felt insecure because of the
migriants about their jobs. They in fear to lose their jobs begin to misbehve with these migriants
and the farmowners offerd jobs to these helpless people without any contract. The landowners
give only half of the payment what they promised to give to the workers. The farms were
gaurded by the cops to make sure the workers do the proper work and do not interfear in any
other matter wether it may be about the payments.
 GRAPES OF WRATH: A BANNED BOOK

In 1936, Jhon Stienbeck conducted research on the people who had moved to California from
Arkanas and Oklahoma; in 1937, he visted Dust Bowl and travelled with migrants on their
relentless drive to California. Through out this journey he experienced what these poor folks
were going on and he decided to weite the book “Grapes of Wrath”, the author had unusual
difficulty devising a name for this book later his wife Carol Stienbeck, suggested the “Grapes of
Wrath”, and this was deemed to be suitable than anything what the author thought of. The book
was published in 1939, earned Stienbeck high praise (including Pultitzer Prize).

The “Grapes of Wrath” is refered to as a Great American Novel; the novel is discussed
thoroughly – in criticisim, reviews and in colleges. When the book was published, “it was a
phenomenon on the scale of a national event. It was publicly banned and burned by citizens, it
was debated on national radio; but above all, it was read.” According to The New York Times, it
was the best - selling book of 1939 and 430,000 copies had been printed by February 1940. The
book won the National Book Award, in the same month. The book won Pulitzer Prize for Fiction,
and its Armed Services Edition went through two printings. Stienbeck won the Nobel Prize in
1962 and the Nobel Prize committee cited “Grapes of Wrath” as a great work and on of the main
reason for granting him Nobel Prize for Literature.

The book is dedicated to the poor people of Dust Bowl who suffered and survived the unbearable
conditions caused by the Great Dipression. Stienbeck tried to be the voice for the voiceless
people by the help of this book and by publishing some articles in the news and pamplets. Many
of his contemporaries attacked his political and social views. Bryan Cordyack wrote; “Stienbeck
was attacked as a propagandist and a socialist from both the left and the right of the political
Spectrum. The most fervent of these attacks came from the Assocciated Farmers of California;
they were unpleased with the book’s depiction of California farmer’s attitude and condcut toward
the migrants. They denounced the book as pack of lies and labeled it “commmunist propaganda”.

These all rewards and criticism took Jhon Steinbeck’s years of research and firsthand experience,
he wrote it in 100-day burst of artistic energy. Throug these years he worked with the migrant
workers where he befriend Tom Collins and advocated for the workers by writing newspaper and
magzine articles. Jhon Stienbeck put everything to make the book an eye of truth from where the
world could see the unseen dehumanizing and abusing by powerful moined intrests of the
 GRAPES OF WRATH: A BANNED BOOK

California farming establishment. This book became the sensation all over America; it brought
attention towards the migrant workers and to the author Jhon Stienbeck. Immidately after the
publishing it put impact on the society, indeed both negative and positive, some of the readers
saw the hope and truth in the book and some saw the insult and lies. The author was praised by
the migriants and attacked by the people living in California the book was banned –and even
burned–in many cities of California.

3. About The Book:

The book begins with parole, a man just comes out on parole from McAlster prison, and he is
none other than the protagnist of the novel Tom Joad. He was in prison for being convicted of
homicide. While he was travelling back to his folks in Sallisaw Oklahoma, he met Jim Casy the
former preacher who he remembered from his childhood when Casy used to Baptize. Now they
both travel together towards the Tom’s childhood farm home where they see no men arround and
the entire place look like a desert. They see nothing but empty houses and the crops destroyed in
the dust bowl. All of them were gone except the Tom’s old neighbour, Muley Graves, he look
terrified and crazy. Muley said that they are gone because the bank evicted all of them from their
homes. Tom’s family has gone to Uncle Jhon Joad’s home nearby. On reaching the Uncle Jhon’s,
the Tom finds his family loading their remaining possesion on to the truck. They were loading
the truck with all nesscerry thing but they could not carry their home where they feel united,
where they lived as a family. It seems all those memories were too heavy they were draging their
shoulders back, Ma Joads cheeks were rollimg down the tears and she was trying hard on herslf
to hide the feeling of attachment with her place. Ma Joads is indeed a brave woman, (women
plays very crucial role in a family she is the one who ties the family in the hardest of the
situations ), that she was the hing to her family carrying them arround and putting hope of life in
them.

Ma Joads and the family were overwhelmed in joy when they saw the Tom. The family has
decided to go to California because there is nothing left for them in the Dust Bowl. They had a
reason to go to California, for they have a handbill, which says, “Jobs in California (800 pickers
needed)”, but unfortunately, they do not know how many migriant workers are already there. So,
now they packe-up and Tom asked Casy to come along. Eventhough, Tom is on parole and
 GRAPES OF WRATH: A BANNED BOOK

leaving Oklahoma would voilate his parole but this job opportunity is worth taking a risk. (The
decesion of Tom is a crime in front of the world but for him and his family is nothing but a virtue
that can keep him alive and help his family to survive. When a person surrounded by poverty and
oppression has no options left, virtue and evil does not exist for him because whatever he does is
to survive. When person live a miserable life dragging, kicking around, and fighting for just a
bite to live, a person like that just bust the holiness). The family left the Oklahoma in a Hudson
sedan transformed in a truk loaded with household things and family members.

Travelling west on Route 66, the route was crowded with the the migraints going to
California and some of them were coming back. The makeshift camps were also crowded and the
Joads family hears many stories in the camps. The people who were coming back from the
California were disapponited and there stories put a doubt in Joads family. When the situations
are not favourable it is hard to belive anyone but at the same time it is hard ignore. The situation
created by the author gives us the discription about the chaos in the oppressed people travelling
to the “promised land” California. The Joads family worries about the California may not be the
actually as promising as it seems. The situation was heart wreatching for the family as the
Grandpa dies, and they have to bury him in the field with few words said by Casy. When they
were close to California, the Grandma took her last breath of life. Noah (the eldest Joad son) and
Connie Rivers (the husband of the pragnent Joad daughter, Rose of Sharon) both leave the
family. This is what poverty and opression do to the united family, when this situation comes
there is no family for anyone, everyone feels alone in a desert, which has no ends. Led by Ma,
the bravest of them, the remaining members realize there is no going back and it is better to stick
around the family.

The family had no idea that the “promised land” is the land oversupplied with labours, work
seekers starving to death, and the children’s bellies with out food. When the Joads family reached
California, they could smell that air of “promised land” is worse than Dust Bowl.

“If you are in trouble or hurt or need–go to poor people. They are the only ones that’ll help–the
only ones”. –Ma Joad in ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ by Jhon Stienbeck
 GRAPES OF WRATH: A BANNED BOOK

The migrants have threat of local deputies also the deputies’ threant, and harass them. For
Federal facilities there were few camps operated by the Resettlement Adminstration, a New Deal
agency, they offers better conditions but do not have enough resources to care for all the needy
families. Meanwhile, Casy becomes a lobour organizer and tries to recruit for thr labour union.
The Joads family also joins the same farm where the Casy was involved in a strike. Tom found
Casy and some other people who were involved in strike that eventually turns voilent. Tom has
promised Ma Joads, that he will not get involved in any trouble but watching Casy diying he
could not control his nerves and kills the attacker and then flee as a fugitive. The Joads manage
to escape the farm while Tom was in trouble and has a risk of being aressted. Now Tom decided
to leave the family because his presence will always be a danger to Joads family. Tom says good-
bye to Ma and he vows to work for the opressed. The remaining Joads family continues to work
in the cotton farm so they could buy food to survive. The brave Ma Joads, forces the family
through the situations. Rose of Sharon’s baby is still born.

The most emotional and sensitive part of the book is in the last chapter when the flood comes
and the car is desabled the Joads have to move to higher grounds. The Joads takes sheltter in an
old barren where they find a boy and his father, who is dying of starvation. They have nothing to
feed him; Rose offers him her breast milk to save the man from starvation.

4.1 Genre:

Steinbeck worked on the book in a journalistic way; he travelled the places to record the details.
He put it in a way that it was nothing but an advocacy for the rights of poor migrants in a
national crisis that had hardly resolved. The book is full of details and depicts history of the
America and yet as novel the book became a talk on tea. The novel was disscussed all over the
America and became a part of American Literature. The novel has maintained both as a text
about American democracy and as a text about the human conditions.
GRAPES OF WRATH: A BANNED BOOK