Summary: The Grapes of Wrath, John Stienbeck

             Over the summer, I have read a very interesting book called The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. For people who have not read this book yet; I highly recommend it. The book is set in the late 1930's and begins with a thorough show-not-tell description of the setting, and characters. The protagonist, Tom Joad, *warning spoilers ahead* has just returned from prison after serving four years for manslaughter. He returns to his home in Oklahoma to find that his family is gone. He is told, by an old family friend, that his family has gone to his uncle's house and are planning to leave Oklahoma and go to California in hopes of finding a job. Once reunited with his family, he is told of the situation happening all over Oklahoma and other states: the bank is claiming all the land for themselves and 'tractoring' off the people who won't give over their land. Many families are left without a home and a job. News of available work reaches the desperate people through cheerful looking pamphlets. The Joad family, in spite of their financial difficulties, set off on the long road to California. They have many difficulties on the way, but none stop them from continuing forward or helping other people that they encounter.
             One clear example of a hardship that they faced was their lack of money and food. While they didn't get over that in the book, the Joads had just enough to last them. However, they shared what little they had with people who were in need. When the Joads met Ivy and Sairy Wilson, who are having car trouble, they invite them to ride with their family (even though they already had more than ten people stuffed in one truck). Later, when Sairy Wilson is too sick to move on, they leave them a generous portion of their food and money. This shows how the Joads help other people in the midst of their own crisis.
             Another example of how the Joads were noble in spite of their hardships was when they fed a group of children. When the Joads finally make it to California, they set up camp in a Hooverville (a town of temporary tents made out off whatever the people have on them). Many people in this camp are in a bad position, lacking in food and money. When Ma Joad starts cooking a soup in the camp, the hungry children come running. Ma Joad, even though she knows she doesn't have enough to feed them, leaves the remains of the soup outside for the children to eat. Ma Joad is a clear example of how the Joad family is unselfish in the middle of bad times.
             In conclusion, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck is a very interesting book that has clear themes and very good description and character development. I enjoyed reading it and look forward to reading more of Steinbeck's books.