A Book Out of My Past

A Book Out of My Past: The Grapes of WrathImage result for the grapes of wrath

The title of the book is The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. I read this book the summer after my sophomore year because I was taking summer school at Southwest High School. It was an online English course I had to take in order to complete the English requirements upon high school graduation. For the last unit of the class, I was assigned to read this book and analyze it. The Grapes of Wrath is about the time when America was in crisis because of the Great Depression in the 1930s. The structure of book fascinated me because of its alternate chapters. One chapter would be about the likely events families suffered during this time, and the next chapter would be about a fictitious family, the Joad. Thus, the reader could be really into the Joad family's story, and then it would switch to a description of the Great Depression. It would make the reader keep turning page after page in order to find out what happened to them. The Joad did not actually exist, but they symbolized the common American family and the things that could have occurred. The Joad lived in Oklahoma, but they decided to move to California in order to find a job in fruit picking. They faced a lot of hardships during the journey, for certain circumstances seemed to break the family apart. Nevertheless, Ma Joad would not let that happen; she wanted to keep the family together, for unity makes strength. One specific scene I remember well was when the Joad family arrived at a camp, and they started setting their tents and preparing their food. There were a lot of poor families with little kids, and all the innocent kids wanted was to satisfy their hunger. The Joad had only enough food for themselves, but they made an effort in order to help the little kids. I believe this shows that there is kindness and sympathy in the world. Receiving food satisfied the kids’ hunger, but helping others satisfied the Joads' heart. Despite the struggles of life, one always has the opportunity to contribute to the well-being of other individuals. After I finished the novel, I had a sense that the last thing to cease to exist in our life is hope. The story teaches cooperation and the foundation of human unity and love during hard times. I would recommend this book to whoever wants to learn about either the Great Depression and its consequences or the power of hope. Everyone can enjoy this book because it is relatable to our everyday struggles, and it shows how we keep pushing to achieve our goals.

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