TO WHAT EXTENT IS ‘THE GRAPES OF WRATH’ A REVOLUTIONARY NOVEL?

Ruby Large (WHS)

‘The Grapes of Wrath’, published in 1939, was given its title by John Steinbeck inspired by a battle hymn with lyrics “mine Eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the lord/ He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored…”. He told his literary agent that ‘it is a march, and this book is a kind of march – because it is in our own revolutionary tradition.’ [1] Although the author clearly set out to produce a stirring and rousing work, it is crucial to define what we mean when we reference the broad concept of ‘revolution’. The Collins Dictionary definition for the term is ‘successful attempt by a large group of people to change the political system of their country by force’, or, more generically, ‘an important change in an area’. [2] Therefore, the common themes seem to be that a revolution is categorised by a large number of people enacting change that goes against the grain of general societal acceptance. Before examining the contents of the text and its critical reception, it would be unwise not to explore the background of Steinbeck and particularly his political leanings. He had significant leftist values and his contacts with ‘leftist authors, journalists, and labor union figures may have influenced his writing’. Additionally, it is interesting to note his affiliation with the playwright Arthur Miller, taken in by the House Un-American Activities later in 1956, and his support against McCarthyism, a phenomenon against alleged Communists in the US government and other institutions, colloquially named a ‘witch-hunt’. [3] Furthering Steinbeck’s links to left-wing politics, he was mentored in his craft by radical authors such as Lincoln Steffens, who ‘discovered abundant evidence of the corruption of politicians by businessmen seeking special privileges’ [4] which adds to the idea of his life being saturated by revolutionary individuals and ideologies, which would inevitably permeate through to his writing.

Now to the content of the text itself. The main preoccupation of the novel is a proletarian focus on immigrant workers in the Great Depression in America, looking at themes of humanity, dignity, powerlessness, and community. In itself, immediately we as readers can detect a socialist propensity just from the key concerns as it fits with the idea of ‘encompassing a range of economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production’, which denotes radical motivations [6]. The actual plot of ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ centres around the Joad family who are forced from their home by poverty, drought, and unemployment. They decide to travel to California in the hope of a stable job, land, and a brighter future. Chapter 14 states that ‘This is the beginning—from “I” to “we”. If you who own the things people must have could understand this, you might preserve yourself. If you could separate causes from results, if you could know that Paine, Marx, Jefferson, Lenin were results, not causes, you might survive. But that you cannot know. For the quality of owning freezes you forever into “I”, and cuts you off forever from the “we”’ [8]. This quote undeniably preaches socialist sentiments, from the direct references to figures such as Karl Marx and Thomas Paine who wrote revolutionary pamphlets and documents to the general view of unity rather than hierarchy, and links both to Steinbeck’s personal political connections and the wider growing radical movement led by figures such as Josef Stalin in the USSR. Furthermore, throughout the text there are frequent allusions to Marxist, socialist and Communist ideals. The bourgeoisie (wealthy upper-class landowners) are described as ‘machines and masters all at the same time’ and their workers are claimed to be ‘proud to be slaves to such cold and powerful masters’. These images are immensely evocative and highlight the mechanical nature of the class distinction and the disturbing acceptance of the disparity which separates rich from poor. In this, it cannot be disputed that

Steinbeck is making the point that classism will always exist unless it is replaced by all people contributing to the success of the community.

The final critical part to the evaluation of ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ as a revolutionary novel is how the text was received, both at the time of publishing by its contemporaries and today. On 16th April 1939, just two days after the original release of the book, Peter Monro Jack stated in the New York Times that Steinbeck, along with other novelists like Hemingway, Caldwell, and Faulkner ‘is writing stories and scenarios of America with a curious and sudden intensity… looking at it again with revolutionary eyes. Stirred like every other man in the street with news of foreign persecution, they turn to their own land to find seeds of the same destructive hatred’ [9]. Later in his review, he mentions the lack of potential for revolution to be stirred due to its ‘minor and sentimental note’ and the fact that Tom, the ‘prodigal son’ figure, does not get his justice. But this is qualified in the final lines: ‘all this is true enough but the real truth is that Steinbeck has written a novel from the depths of his heart with a sincerity seldom equalled. It may be an exaggeration, but it is the exaggeration of an honest and splendid writer.’ Bringing this forward 75 years, Robert McCrum writes in the Guardian and describes the novel: ‘One of the greatest of great American novels, this study of a family torn apart by poverty and desperation in the Great Depression shocked US society’ [1]. He mentions that ‘the novel at once became a national sensation, possibly the most reviewed and publicised, and even the most controversial, American novel of the 20th century – discussed on the radio, denounced by angry readers, and even banned in some libraries’, and we can infer that the controversy surrounding it means that a large group of people wanted to use this to go against the societal expectations of the period. Therefore, both critics can agree on one thing: Steinbeck made a stir.

So, after considering Steinbeck himself as a radical, the text and its contents and the reception in the wider world, it seems impossible to discount ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ as a revolutionary novel. It is estimated to have sold around 15 million copies in 75 years [1], making it undeniably popular and influential on America and society in general. While there are certainly aspects to Steinbeck’s work that have peaked debate, one thing is clear – he succeeded in continuing a conversation about the issues of classism and how this could be rectified with socialist principles, and he got people to listen.

Bibliography:

[1] McCrum, R. (2014). The 100 best novels: No 65 – The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (1939). [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www. theguardian.com/books/2014/dec/15/robert-mcrum100-best-novels-observer-steinbeck-grapes-wrath.

[2] www.collinsdictionary.com. (n.d.). Revolution definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary. [online] Available at: https://www.collinsdictionary. com/us/dictionary/english/revolution.

[3] Wikipedia. (2021). John Steinbeck. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_ Steinbeck#Political_views [Accessed 29 Apr. 2021].

[4] The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica (2018). Lincoln Steffens | American journalist. In: Encyclopædia Britannica. [online] Available at: https:// www.britannica.com/biography/Lincoln-Steffens.

[5] John Steinbeck image: https://www.independent. co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/johnsteinbeck-author-anniversary-death-mice-and-mengrapes-wrath-east-eden-a8690851.html

[6] Wikipedia Contributors (2019). Socialism. [online] Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Socialism.

[7] First edition cover of ‘The Grapes of Wrath’: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grapes_of_Wrath

[8] Wikipedia. (2021b). The Grapes of Wrath. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_ Grapes_of_Wrath#Development [Accessed 29 Apr. 2021].

[9] Monro Jack, P. (1939). John Steinbeck’s New Novel Brims With Anger and Pity. [online] archive.nytimes. com. Available at: https://archive.nytimes.com/www. nytimes.com/books/97/07/06/home/history-grapes. html [Accessed 29 Apr. 2021].