Sixth Discussion Question for Grapes of Wrath

High school students, as well as adults, read and reread The Grapes of Wrath because it is a classic time period novel about the struggle to overcome challenges and survive through hard times. The Joads don't overcome poverty, as they are still starving and unemployed at the end of the novel (plus their belongings and vehicle are underwater, and they hopefully won't also drown), but their story is still memorable.

Any story about a group of people working together to try to accomplish something that seems impossible is a good read. Plus when you throw in a cup of bravery in the face of danger and a pinch of heroism and self sacrifice, a classic novel should ensue (see Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Old Man and the Sea, etc). If a book is a classic, it is (hopefully) not boring and is interesting to read. The theme of man being cruel to man helps new readers realize that not only were African Americans and Native Americans treated cruelly in the United States' past, but white men were also treated unequally. In history class the Great Depression is not everyone's favorite subject, and this book was interesting enough to keep my interest and not bore me with too many details about the dry land and the economic woes.

The Grapes of Wrath is a classic because the reader can connect to the characters and watch them grow and develop. Other than Rose of Sharon and the creepy ending (although it does allow her character to grow from a naive girl to a mature saintlike woman saving people, but is still creepy), the book is easy to read and to follow. The reader also learns about the Great Depression while reading the novel so that is an added bonus for teachers to have their students read Grapes of Wrath. The reader can learn from Tom Joad who went to jail and came out as someone who just wanted to stay out of trouble and help his family. Then he wanted to help out everyone in a situation similar to his family and reformed to become a preacher of sorts to make the upper class, police, and government aware of how the poor were being treated. That sort of transformation gives the reader hope that change is possible and being the better person is always what you should strive to be.

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2006. Print.