The Grapes of Wrath: Interpretations (OCR A Level English Literature)

The Grapes of Wrath: Interpretations

AO5 assesses your ability to understand different ways of reading and interpreting texts. Those different readings can take different forms, from interpretations by critics to watching and analysing different productions of a text.

There are numerous ways to explore different interpretations in order to meet the AO5 assessment criteria, and you must explore a range of secondary reading and perspectives to supplement your understanding of the text. These can include:

• Exploring critics

• Interpretations over time

• Dramatisations

Exploring critics

Different critics will offеr variеd insights and intеrprеtations of The Grapes of Wrath, and citations will lеnd crеdibility and authority to your analysis. Rеfеrеncing well-known critics demonstrates that your interpretation is groundеd in literary criticism. It will also еnhance thе validity of your argumеnt. By citing multiple critics, you can prеsеnt a morе comprehensive and balanced analysis and demonstrate the different range of perspectives and interpretations surrounding the novel.

Below are two notable critics who have commented on The Grapes of Wrath:

Charles Cunningham: “Rethinking the Politics of The Grapes of Wrath” (2011)

Charles Cunningham is a professor of English Language and Literature at Eastern Michigan University. He has written a number of essays on American politics and American history. In “Rethinking the Politics of The Grapes of Wrath”, Cunningham explores and criticises the politics within the novel. 

• “The Grapes of Wrath” is described as a paradoxical work that simultaneously serves as a radical analysis of the exploitation of agricultural workers, and embodies implicit racism by focusing on white people as victims

• The novel neglects to mention the Mexican and Filipino migrant workers who dominated California fields:

  • This suggests a biased focus on Anglo-Saxon white people as the only worthy subjects

• However, the novel does challenge assumptions about private property and class differences, presenting a radical critique of the social order

• The political intervention of “The Grapes of Wrath” is deemed contradictory, as it both reinforces racist narratives and provides a radical critique of the social order

• Cunningham also claims that the novel presents a political contradiction by advocating for class solidarity while simultaneously naturalising gender roles, especially for women

• Ma Joad embodies a stereotypical nurturing earth-mother figure:

  • However, critic Mimi Gladstein argues that Ma’s nurturing is positive due to her strength and willingness to take on masculine responsibilities when needed

• Ma undergoes change during the journey, acquiring new perspectives on the migrants’ situation:

  • The breast-feeding scene at the end symbolises Rose of Sharon inheriting Ma’s legacy and moving beyond self-centredness 

• In contrast, Nellie Y McKay argues that although Ma contributes to the Joads’ realisation of the need for change in their family-centred worldview, women’s roles within the “changing society” remain confined to nurturing, whether it’s for the family or the new society

John J Han: “A Defense of Steinbeck’s Intercalary Chapters in The Grapes of Wrath” (2009)

John J Han is a Professor of English and Creative Writing at Missouri Baptist University. Han has published a number of scholarly papers in journals and essay collections and has written a number of papers on John Steinbeck and his work. In this essay, Han defends Steinbeck’s choice of intercalary chapters in The Grapes of Wrath.

• Han states that, over the years, The Grapes of Wrath has suffered critical attacks for “allegedly lacking organic unity”

• Critics, such as Philip Rahv, state that the novel is didactic and long-winded:

  • He questions its craftsmanship while acknowledging the valid political observation and sincere feeling contained within

• Other critics highlight how the sixteen intercalary chapters in the novel are major structural weaknesses:

  • They claim that these chapters are irrelevant, repetitious and excessive

• Steinbeck mentions devising a “new method” for writing the novel:

  • This involves alternating between narrative chapters describing the Joad family’s plight and migration and general chapters providing context and a picture of migrant farm workers

• Steinbeck claims that the intercalary chapters are “pace changers” intended to “hit the reader below the belt”:

  • He defends his refusal to follow normal novel conventions, aiming to rip the reader’s nerves and make them participate in the realism of the story

• Robert DeMott supports Steinbeck’s stylistic experiments:

  • He describes his aesthetic as “participatory”, creating a circle of complicity between the writer, text and reader for maximum impact

Interpretations over time

John Steinbeck published The Grapes of Wrath in 1939 and, since then, society has changed a great deal in many ways. Below are some examples of critical reactions since the publication of The Grapes of Wrath.

Reactions on publication

• The Grapes of Wrath was an instant hit upon its release and it enjoyed widespread success:

  • It became a national bestseller and stayed this way throughout 1939 and 1940

• The novel won Steinbeck a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Award

• However, the novel did receive some backlash and not everyone enjoyed it:

  • In Oklahoma and California, the novel was attacked and considered propaganda

• In California, the Board of Supervisors banned the novel in schools and libraries:

  • In some parts, the book was burned as it contained occasional obscene language and also because of its themes 

• In Oklahoma, the novel was criticised for its portrayal of the state and its inhabitants

• In the years that followed, the novel became influential and gave people an insight into the lives of migrant workers

Reactions by the author

• Steinbeck’s young adult life was spent around the ranches of Salinas valley in California:

  • He worked as a ranch hand and gained firsthand knowledge and experience of the life of migrant labourers who worked on the farms

• The novel was inspired by Steinbeck’s journalism work, as he was commissioned to cover migrant labour camps in California for The San Francisco News

• Steinbeck took the novel very seriously, as he felt it was important for the readers to experience the lives of migrants as they really were

• While preparing for the book, Steinbeck travelled with a family from Oklahoma to California:

  • This allowed him to gain a real insight into their experiences of being on the road, living in camps and interactions with other people

  • What he experienced enraged him as he felt that they were treated unfairly and unjustly

• Steinbeck intended for this novel to offer a real insight into the lives of migrant workers:

  • He therefore adopted a different writing style in order to give readers an accurate idea of migrant farmers’ experiences

  • He stated that he wanted to “hit the reader below the belt” with his writing style to capture the injustice

• The book’s title was suggested by Steinbeck’s wife and is a reference to a song called “Battle Hymn of the Republic” and also the Bible:

  • It is a reference to an angel gathering the ripe grapes of the earth and taking them to God to crush

More recent reactions

• The Grapes of Wrath still remains a popular novel and it sells millions of copies each year:

  • It is still seen as relevant to modern American concerns, such as the dreams of Mexican immigrants seeking a promised land in the Western US

• It is studied by English students as well as scholars who analyse the novel for its political messages and ideas

• The novel was turned into a film in 1940 starring Henry Fonda and was released one year after the novel was published

• In 2014, The Guardian published an article arguing that “Steinbeck didn’t want us to lose hope – he wanted us to get angry at those who would strip hope from us”:

  • The article compared the environmental hardships faced by migrant workers in California to more recent environmental disasters in the same state, such as raging wildfires

  • It also argues that the “wrath” of the novel’s title is not aimed at the weather, but at those who abuse power

  • Steinbeck himself was unapologetic about having certain socialist views

  • The article states that “Seventy-five years later, The Grapes of Wrath is a mirror to a country splintered by inequality, controlled by a minority, and facing climate catastrophe”

Dramatisation

Examining various productions on stage and screen of The Grapes of Wrath will help you to appreciate different interpretations of the characters and themes, and also how they may have evolved over time, reflecting shifts in society and culture.

The Grapes of Wrath directed by John Ford (1940)

Due to the success of the novel, The Grapes of Wrath was turned into a film the following year. The film is widely considered by many to be one of the greatest films of all time. The movie won Oscars for best director and best actress and was nominated for five other awards. 

• The novel provides a deeper understanding of the story’s time and meaning compared to the film:

  • Intercalary chapters from the novel are not in the film and therefore the film does not offer the audience an in depth and detailed portrayal of the time period 

  • Some of these chapters include dialogue between farmers and establishments that helps to explain the economic forces behind the farmers’ displacement

• Due to time constraints, the movie does not go into as much depth as the novel:

  • In the novel, there is a clear explanation as to why the Joads need to leave the farm

  • The character of Muley Graves is not as well developed in the film, which makes it confusing for the audience to understand his role and purpose

• Steinbeck places a lot of emphasis on colour and imagery by describing the scene and landscape vividly and in a lot of detail:

  • However, the film is in black and white, which eliminates the imagery and attention to detail that was in the novel

• Another element that was absent from the film was the use of symbolism:

  • In the novel, Steinbeck uses a range of symbolism:

    • For example, Tom crushing the grasshopper is symbolic of the bank crushing the migrant farmers and their properties with the bulldozers 

    • This was not present in the film and it therefore did not have the depth and deeper meaning that the novel did

• The novel provides a deep and detailed depiction of life during the Great Depression:

  • However, the film does not go into as much detail or depth, which leaves the audience with questions that the film cannot answer

• However, the film does offer some insight into the plight of the migrant worker and is still considered as one of the greatest movies of all time

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