The Grapes of Wrath - wikipedia The Grapes of Wrath Jump to : navigation , search This article is about the novel . For other uses , see Grapes of Wrath ( disambiguation ) . The Grapes of Wrath First edition cover Author John Steinbeck Cover artist Elmer Hader Country United States Language English Genre Novel Publisher The Viking Press - James Lloyd Publication date April 14 , 1939 Pages 464 OCLC 289946 Dewey Decimal 813.52 The Grapes of Wrath is an American realist novel written by John Steinbeck and published in 1939 . The book won the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize for fiction , and it was cited prominently when Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1962 . Set during the Great Depression , the novel focuses on the Joads , a poor family of tenant farmers driven from their Oklahoma home by drought , economic hardship , agricultural industry changes , and bank foreclosures forcing tenant farmers out of work . Due to their nearly hopeless situation , and in part because they are trapped in the Dust Bowl , the Joads set out for California . Along with thousands of other `` Okies '' , they seek jobs , land , dignity , and a future . The Grapes of Wrath is frequently read in American high school and college literature classes due to its historical context and enduring legacy . A celebrated Hollywood film version , starring Henry Fonda and directed by John Ford , was released in 1940 . Contents ( hide ) 1 Plot 2 Characters 3 Religious Interpretation 4 Development 4.1 Title 5 Author 's note 6 Critical reception 7 Adaptations 7.1 In film 7.2 In music 7.3 In theatre 8 See also 9 References 9.1 Notes 9.2 Bibliography 10 External links Plot ( edit ) The narrative begins just after Tom Joad is paroled from McAlester prison , where he had been imprisoned after being convicted of homicide . On his return to his home near Sallisaw , Oklahoma , Tom meets former preacher Jim Casy , whom he remembers from his childhood , and the two travel together . When they arrive at Tom 's childhood farm home , they find it deserted . Disconcerted and confused , Tom and Casy meet their old neighbor , Muley Graves , who tells them the family has gone to stay at Uncle John Joad 's home nearby . Graves tells them that the banks have evicted all the farmers , but he refuses to leave the area . The next morning , Tom and Casy go to Uncle John 's . Tom finds his family loading their remaining possessions into a Hudson Motor Car Company sedan converted to a truck ; with their crops destroyed by the Dust Bowl , the family has defaulted on their bank loans , and their farm has been repossessed . Consequently , the Joads see no option but to seek work in California , described in handbills as fruitful and offering high pay . The Joads put everything they have into making the journey . Although leaving Oklahoma would violate his parole , Tom decides it is worth the risk , and invites Casy to join him and his family . Traveling west on Route 66 , the Joad family find the road crowded with other migrants . In makeshift camps , they hear many stories from others , some returning from California , and the group worries about lessening prospects . The family dwindles as well : Grandpa dies along the road , and they bury him in a field ; Grandma dies close to the California state line ; and both Noah ( the eldest Joad son ) and Connie Rivers ( the husband of the pregnant Joad daughter , Rose of Sharon ) leave the family . Led by Ma , the remaining members realize they can only continue , as nothing is left for them in Oklahoma . Reaching California , they find the state oversupplied with labor ; wages are low , and workers are exploited to the point of starvation . The big corporate farmers are in collusion and smaller farmers suffer from collapsing prices . Weedpatch Camp , one of the clean , utility - supplied camps operated by the Resettlement Administration , a New Deal agency , offers better conditions but does not have enough resources to care for all the needy families . Nonetheless , as a Federal facility , the camp protects the migrants from harassment by California deputies . `` How can you frighten a man whose hunger is not only in his own cramped stomach but in the wretched bellies of his children ? You ca n't scare him -- he has known a fear beyond every other . '' -- Chapter 19 In response to the exploitation , Casy becomes a labor organizer and tries to recruit for a labor union . The remaining Joads work as strikebreakers in a peach orchard , where Casy is involved in a strike that eventually turns violent . When Tom Joad witnesses Casy 's fatal beating , he kills the attacker and flees as a fugitive . The Joads later leave the orchard for a cotton farm , where Tom is at risk of being arrested for the homicide . Tom bids his mother farewell and promises to work for the oppressed . Rose of Sharon 's baby is stillborn . Ma Joad remains steadfast and forces the family through the bereavement . With rain , the Joads ' dwelling is flooded and they move to higher ground . In the final chapter of the book , the family takes shelter from the flood in an old barn . Inside they find a young boy and his father , who is dying of starvation . Rose of Sharon takes pity on the man and offers him her breast milk to save him from starvation . Characters ( edit ) Tom Joad : Protagonist of the story ; the Joad family 's second son , named after his father . Later on , Tom takes leadership of the family even though he is young . Ma Joad : Matriarch . Practical and warm - spirited , she tries to hold the family together . Her given name is never learned ; it is suggested that her maiden name was Hazlett . Pa Joad : Patriarch , also named Tom , age 50 . Hardworking sharecropper and family man . Pa becomes a broken man upon losing his livelihood and means of supporting his family , forcing Ma to assume leadership . Uncle John Joad : Pa Joad 's older brother ( Tom describes him as `` a fella about 60 '' , but in narrative he is described as 50 ) . He felt guilty about the death of his young wife years before , and has been prone to binges involving alcohol and prostitutes , but is generous with his goods . Jim Casy : A former preacher who lost his faith . He is a Christ - like figure and is based on Ed Ricketts . Al Joad : The third youngest son , a `` smart - aleck sixteen - year - older '' who cares mainly for cars and girls ; he looks up to Tom , but begins to find his own way . Rose of Sharon Joad Rivers : Childish and dreamy teenage daughter ( 18 ) who develops into a mature woman . Pregnant in the beginning of the novel , she delivers a stillborn baby , perhaps due to malnutrition . Connie Rivers : Rose of Sharon 's husband . Nineteen years old and naïve , he is overwhelmed by marriage and impending fatherhood ; he abandons his wife shortly after they arrive in California . Noah Joad : The oldest son , he is the first to leave the family , planning to live off fishing on the Colorado River . Injured at birth and described as `` strange '' , he may have slight learning difficulties . Grampa Joad : Tom 's grandfather , who expresses his strong desire to stay in Oklahoma . His full name is given as William James Joad . Grampa is drugged by his family with `` soothin ' syrup '' to force him to leave , but he dies the first evening on the road . Casy attributes his death to a stroke but says that Grampa is `` jus ' stayin ' with the lan ' . He couldn ' leave it . '' Granma Joad : Grampa Joad 's religious wife ; she loses her will to live after his death . She dies while the family is crossing the Mojave Desert . Ruthie Joad : The youngest daughter , age twelve . She is shown to be reckless and childish . Quarreling with another child , she reveals Tom in hiding . Winfield Joad : The youngest male in the family , age ten , `` kid - wild and calfish '' . Jim Rawley : Manages the camp at Weedpatch , he shows the Joads surprising favor . Muley Graves : A neighbor of the Joads ' ; he is invited to come along to California with them but refuses . The family leave two of their dogs with him ; a third they take but it is killed by a car during their travels . Ivy and Sairy Wilson : Migrants from Kansas , they attend the death of Grampa and share the journey as far as the California state line . Mr. Wainwright : The father of Aggie Wainwright and husband of Mrs. Wainwright . Worries over his daughter Aggie . Mrs. Wainwright : Mother to Aggie Wainwright and wife to Mr. Wainwright . She helps Ma deliver Rose of Sharon 's baby . Aggie Wainwright : Sixteen - year - old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Wainwright . Intends to marry Al . Floyd Knowles : The man at the Hooverville who urges Tom and Casy to join labor organizations . His agitation results in Casy 's being jailed . Religious interpretation ( edit ) This section relies largely or entirely on a single source . Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page . Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources . ( April 2017 ) Many scholars note Steinbeck for his many uses of Christian imagery within The Grapes of Wrath . The largest implications lie with Tom Joad and Jim Casy , who are both interpreted as Christ - like figures at certain intervals within the novel . These two are often interpreted together , with Jim Casy representing Jesus Christ in the early days of his ministry , up until his death , which is interpreted as representing the death of Christ . From there , Tom takes over , rising in Casy 's place as the Christ figure risen from the dead . However , the religious imagery is not limited to these two characters . Scholars have regularly inspected other characters and plot points within the novel , including Ma Joad , Rose of Sharon , Rose of Sharon 's stillborn child , and Uncle John . In an article first published in 2009 , Ken Eckert even compared the migrant 's movement west as a reversed version of the slaves ' escape from Egypt in Exodus . Many of these extreme interpretations are brought on by Steinbeck 's own documented beliefs , which Eckert himself refers to as `` unorthodox . '' Development ( edit ) 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 can not know . For the quality of owning freezes you forever into `` I '' , and cuts you off forever from the `` we '' . -- Chapter 14 Steinbeck was known to have borrowed from field notes taken during 1938 by Farm Security Administration worker and author Sanora Babb . While Babb collected personal stories about the lives of the displaced migrants for a novel she was developing , her supervisor , Tom Collins , shared her reports with Steinbeck , then working at the San Francisco News . Babb 's own novel , Whose Names Are Unknown , was eclipsed in 1939 by the success of The Grapes of Wrath and was shelved until it was finally published in 2004 , a year before Babb 's death . The Grapes of Wrath developed from The Harvest Gypsies , a series of seven articles that ran in the San Francisco News , from October 5 to 12 , 1936 . The newspaper commissioned that work on migrant workers from the Midwest in California 's agriculture industry . ( It was later compiled and published separately . ) Title ( edit ) This section needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . ( April 2017 ) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message ) While writing the novel at his home , 16250 Greenwood Lane , in what is now Monte Sereno , California , Steinbeck had unusual difficulty devising a title . The Grapes of Wrath , suggested by his wife Carol Steinbeck , was deemed more suitable than anything by the author . The title is a reference to lyrics from `` The Battle Hymn of the Republic '' , by Julia Ward Howe ( emphasis added ) : 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 hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword : His truth is marching on . These lyrics refer , in turn , to the biblical passage Revelation 14 : 19 -- 20 , an apocalyptic appeal to divine justice and deliverance from oppression in the final judgment . This and other biblical passages had inspired a long tradition of imagery of Christ in the winepress , in various media . The passage reads : And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth , and gathered the vine of the earth , and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God . And the winepress was trodden without the city , and blood came out of the winepress , even unto the horse bridles , by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs . The phrase also appears at the end of chapter 25 in Steinbeck 's book , which describes the purposeful destruction of food to keep the price high : ( A ) nd in the eyes of the hungry there is a growing wrath . In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy , growing heavy for the vintage . The image invoked by the title serves as a crucial symbol in the development of both the plot and the novel 's greater thematic concerns : from the terrible winepress of Dust Bowl oppression will come terrible wrath but also the deliverance of workers through their cooperation . This is suggested but not realized within the novel . Author 's note ( edit ) When preparing to write the novel , Steinbeck wrote : `` I want to put a tag of shame on the greedy bastards who are responsible for this ( the Great Depression and its effects ) . '' He famously said , `` I 've done my damnedest to rip a reader 's nerves to rags . '' This work won a large following among the working class due to Steinbeck 's sympathy for the migrants and workers ' movement , and his accessible prose style . Critical reception ( edit ) Steinbeck scholar John Timmerman sums up the book 's influence : `` The Grapes of Wrath may well be the most thoroughly discussed novel -- in criticism , reviews , and college classrooms -- of 20th century American literature . '' The Grapes of Wrath is referred to as a Great American Novel . At the time of publication , Steinbeck 's novel `` was a phenomenon on the scale of a national event . It was publicly banned and burned by citizens , it was debated on national radio ; but above all , it was read . '' According to The New York Times , it was the best - selling book of 1939 and 430,000 copies had been printed by February 1940 . In that month it won the National Book Award , favorite fiction book of 1939 , voted by members of the American Booksellers Association . Soon it won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction . The book was noted for Steinbeck 's passionate depiction of the plight of the poor , and many of his contemporaries attacked his social and political views . Bryan Cordyack writes , `` Steinbeck was attacked as a propagandist and a socialist from both the left and the right of the political spectrum . The most fervent of these attacks came from the Associated Farmers of California ; they were displeased with the book 's depiction of California farmers ' attitudes and conduct toward the migrants . They denounced the book as a ' pack of lies ' and labeled it ' communist propaganda ' '' . Some accused Steinbeck of exaggerating camp conditions to make a political point . Steinbeck had visited the camps well before publication of the novel and argued their inhumane nature destroyed the settlers ' spirit . In 1962 , the Nobel Prize committee cited Grapes of Wrath as a `` great work '' and as one of the committee 's main reasons for granting Steinbeck the Nobel Prize for Literature . In 2005 Time magazine included the novel in its `` TIME 100 Best English - language Novels from 1923 to 2005 '' . In 2009 , The Daily Telegraph of the United Kingdom included the novel in its `` 100 novels everyone should read '' . In 1998 , the Modern Library ranked The Grapes of Wrath tenth on its list of the 100 best English - language novels of the 20th century . In 1999 , French newspaper Le Monde of Paris ranked The Grapes of Wrath as seventh on its list of the 100 best books of the 20th century . In the UK , it was listed at number 29 among the `` nation 's best loved novels '' on the BBC 's 2003 survey The Big Read . Adaptations ( edit ) In film ( edit ) The book was quickly made into a famed , 1940 Hollywood movie of the same name directed by John Ford and starring Henry Fonda as Tom Joad . The first part of the film version follows the book fairly accurately . However , the second half and the ending , in particular , differ significantly from the book . John Springer , author of The Fondas ( Citadel , 1973 ) , said of Henry Fonda and his role in film version of The Grapes of Wrath : `` The Great American Novel made one of the few enduring Great American Motion Pictures . '' The documentary American : The Bill Hicks Story ( 2009 ) revealed that The Grapes of Wrath was comedian Bill Hicks ' favorite novel . He based his famous last words on Tom Joad 's final speech : `` I left in love , in laughter , and in truth , and wherever truth , love and laughter abide , I am there in spirit . '' In July 2013 , Steven Spielberg announced his plans to direct a remake of The Grapes of Wrath for DreamWorks . In music ( edit ) Woody Guthrie 's two - part song -- `` Tom Joad -- Parts 1 & 2 '' -- from the album Dust Bowl Ballads ( 1940 ) , explores the protagonist 's life after being paroled from prison . It was covered in 1988 by Andy Irvine , who recorded both parts as a single song -- `` Tom Joad '' -- on Patrick Street 's second album , No. 2 Patrick Street . The song `` Here Comes that Rainbow Again '' by Kris Kristofferson ( 1981 ) is based on the scene in the roadside diner where Pa Joad buys a loaf of bread and two candy sticks for Ruthie and Winfield . The band The Mission UK included a song , titled `` The Grapes of Wrath '' , in their album Carved in Sand ( 1990 ) . The progressive rock band Camel released an album , titled Dust and Dreams ( 1991 ) , inspired by the novel . American rock singer - songwriter Bruce Springsteen named his 11th studio album , The Ghost of Tom Joad ( 1995 ) , after the character . The first track on the album is titled `` The Ghost of Tom Joad '' . The song -- and to a lesser extent , the other songs on the album -- draws comparisons between the Dust Bowl and modern times . Rage Against the Machine recorded a version of `` The Ghost of Tom Joad '' in 1997 . Like Andy Irvine in 1988 , Dick Gaughan recorded Woody Guthrie 's `` Tom Joad '' on his album Outlaws & Dreamers ( 2001 ) . An opera based on the novel was co-produced by the Minnesota Opera , and Utah Symphony and Opera , with music by Ricky Ian Gordon and libretto by Michael Korie . The opera made its world premiere in February 2007 , to favorable local reviews . Bad Religion have a song entitled `` Grains of Wraith '' on their album , New Maps of Hell ( 2007 ) . Bad Religion lead vocalist , Greg Graffin , is a fan of Steinbeck 's . The song `` Dust Bowl Dance '' on Mumford & Sons ' album Sigh No More ( 2009 ) is based on the novel . Pink Floyd 's song `` Sorrow '' , written by David Gilmour , from the album A Momentary Lapse of Reason is thematically derived / based on the novel . In Theatre ( edit ) The Steppenwolf Theatre Company produced a stage version of the book , adapted by Frank Galati . Gary Sinise played Tom Joad for its entire run of 188 performances on Broadway in 1990 . One of these performances was filmed and shown on PBS the following year . In 1990 , the Illegitimate Players theater company in Chicago produced Of Grapes and Nuts , an original , satirical mash - up of The Grapes of Wrath and Steinbeck 's acclaimed novella Of Mice and Men . See also ( edit ) Novels portal The Jungle Le Monde 's 100 Books of the Century References ( edit ) Notes ( edit ) Jump up ^ `` Grapes of Wrath , a classic for today ? '' . BBC News . April 14 , 2009 . Retrieved August 26 , 2013 . Jump up ^ The official publication date of April 14 , 1939 , was exactly four years to the day of the Black Sunday Storm , among the worst Dust Bowl dust storms which , in real life , caused Oklahomans to migrate to California in search of work . ^ Jump up to : `` 1939 Book Awards Given by Critics : Elgin Groseclose 's ' Ararat ' is Picked as Work Which Failed to Get Due Recognition '' , The New York Times , February 14 , 1940 , page 25 . ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times ( 1851 -- 2007 ) . ^ Jump up to : `` Novel '' The Pulitzer Prizes . Retrieved 8 September 2016 . ^ Jump up to : Osterling , Anders . `` Nobel Prize in Literature 1962 -- Presentation Speech '' . Retrieved February 18 , 2007 . Jump up ^ `` AP : English Literature '' . CollegeBoard . Retrieved May 9 , 2012 . Jump up ^ `` The Big Read The Grapes of Wrath '' . National Endowment for the Arts . Retrieved May 9 , 2012 . Jump up ^ Eckert , Ken ( 2009 - 11 - 01 ) . `` ( Exodus Inverted : A New Look at The Grapes of Wrath , Color Plates ) '' . Religion and the Arts . 13 ( 4 ) : 340 -- 357 . doi : 10.1163 / 156852909X460447 . ISSN 1568 - 5292 . Jump up ^ Eckert , Ken ( 2009 - 11 - 01 ) . `` ( Exodus Inverted : A New Look at The Grapes of Wrath , Color Plates ) '' . Religion and the Arts . 13 ( 4 ) : 340 -- 357 . doi : 10.1163 / 156852909X460447 . ISSN 1568 - 5292 . Jump up ^ Sanora Babb ( Ken Burns ) Jump up ^ Published by the Simon S. Lubin Society of California as a pamphlet entitled `` Their Blood is Strong . '' Republished 1988 by Heyday as `` The Harvest Gypsies : On the Road to the Grapes of Wrath . '' Source : Cordyack . ^ Jump up to : Cordyack , Brian . `` 20th - Century American Bestsellers : John Steinbeck , The Grapes of Wrath '' . Graduate School of Library and Information Science , University of Illinois , Urbana - Champaign . Retrieved February 18 , 2007 . Jump up ^ DeMott , Robert ( 1992 ) . Robert DeMott 's Introduction to The Grapes of Wrath . Viking Penguin , a Division of Penguin Books . p. xviii . ISBN 0 - 14 - 018640 - 9 . Jump up ^ http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/8555 Jump up ^ Dana , Gioia . `` The Grapes of Wrath Radio Show -- Transcript '' . The Big Read . The National Endowment for the Arts . Retrieved 2010 - 09 - 22 . Writer Richard Rodriguez discussed The Grapes of Wrath as The Great American Novel : `` There has n't been anything like this novel since it was written . And this is the great American novel that everyone keeps waiting for but it has been written now . '' Jump up ^ Lisca , Peter ( 1958 ) . `` The Wide World of John Steinbeck '' . Brunswick , NJ : Rutgers University Press . Jump up ^ Shillinglaw , Susan ; Benson , Jackson J ( February 2 , 2002 ) . `` Of Men and Their Making : The Non-Fiction Of John Steinbeck '' . London : Penguin . Retrieved December 17 , 2008 . Jump up ^ `` All Time 100 Novels '' . Time . October 16 , 2005 . Retrieved May 25 , 2010 . Jump up ^ `` 100 novels everyone should read '' . The Daily Telegraph . January 16 , 2009 . Retrieved June 5 , 2012 . Jump up ^ `` The Big Read '' , BBC , April 2003 . Retrieved January 12 , 2014 Jump up ^ Nixon , Rob . `` The Grapes of Wrath '' . This Month Spotlight . Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved 2010 - 09 - 22 . Jump up ^ `` Steven Spielberg eyes Grapes of Wrath '' . guardian.co.uk. 4 July 2013 . Retrieved 9 July 2013 . Jump up ^ `` Steven Spielberg in talks to remake ' The Grapes Of Wrath ' '' . nme.com. 4 July 2013 . Retrieved 9 July 2013 . Jump up ^ Sleeve notes from No. 2 Patrick Street , Green Linnet SIF 1088 , 1988 . Jump up ^ Symynkywicz , Jeffery B. ( 2008 ) . The Gospel According to Bruce Springsteen : Rock and Redemption , from Asbury Park to Magic . Westminster John Knox Press . ISBN 0 - 664 - 23169 - 1 . p. 122 . Jump up ^ `` Dick Gaughan Discography Outlaws & Dreamers ( 2001 ) '' , Retrieved 8th October 2015 Jump up ^ Michael Anthony , `` ' Grapes ' is a sweet , juicy production '' , Minneapolis Star Tribune , 2 / 12 / 2007 Jump up ^ Books The Answer The Bad Religion Page -- Since 1995 Jump up ^ `` American Playhouse '' The Grapes of Wrath ( TV Episode 1991 ) , retrieved 2017 - 09 - 30 Jump up ^ Lawrence Bommer , `` Sending Up Steinbeck , '' Chicago Reader , 11 / 8 / 1990 Bibliography ( edit ) Garcia , Reloy . `` The Rocky Road to Eldorado : The Journey Motif in John Steinbeck 's The Grapes of Wrath . '' Steinbeck Quarterly 14.03 - 04 ( Summer / Fall 1981 ) : 83 - 93 Gregory , James N. `` Dust Bowl Legacies : the Okie Impact on California , 1939 -- 1989 '' . California History 1989 68 ( 3 ) : 74 -- 85 . ISSN 0162 - 2897 Henkel , Scott . `` A Seditious Proposal . '' The Grapes of Wrath : A Reconsideration ' Vol. 1 . Ed . Michael J. Meyer . Amsterdam : Rodopi , 2009 . 219 - 42 . Saxton , Alexander . `` In Dubious Battle : Looking Backward '' . Pacific Historical Review 2004 73 ( 2 ) : 249 -- 262 . ISSN 0030 - 8684 Fulltext : online at Swetswise , Ingenta , Ebsco Sobchack , Vivian C. `` The Grapes of Wrath ( 1940 ) : Thematic Emphasis Through Visual Style '' . American Quarterly 1979 31 ( 5 ) : 596 -- 615 . ISSN 0003 - 0678 Fulltext : in Jstor . Discusses the visual style of John Ford 's cinematic adaptation of the novel . Usually the movie is examined in terms of its literary roots or its social protest . But the imagery of the film reveals the important theme of the Joad family 's coherence . The movie shows the family in closeups , cramped in small spaces on a cluttered screen , isolated from the land and their surroundings . Dim lighting helps abstract the Joad family from the reality of Dust Bowl migrants . The film 's emotional and aesthetic power comes from its generalized quality attained through this visual style . Windschuttle , Keith . `` Steinbeck 's Myth of the Okies '' . The New Criterion , Vol. 20 , No. 10 , June 2002 . Zirakzadeh , Cyrus Ernesto . `` John Steinbeck on the Political Capacities of Everyday Folk : Moms , Reds , and Ma Joad 's Revolt '' . Polity 2004 36 ( 4 ) : 595 -- 618 . ISSN 0032 - 3497 External links ( edit ) Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Grapes of Wrath . Wikiquote has quotations related to : The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck in the Santa Cruz Mountains -- A history of Steinbeck 's life living in the Santa Cruz Mountain 's while writing The Grapes of Wrath 2 short radio episodes `` Spring in California '' and `` Route 66 '' from The Grapes of Wrath , California Legacy Project . `` The Grapes of Wrath revisited , '' ( videos ) The Guardian ( Chris McGreal journeys along Route 66 -- following the path of the Joads , of John Steinbeck 's The Grapes of Wrath , to compare that account of the Great Depression with today 's United States under President Barack Obama . Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture -- Grapes of Wrath National Public Radio : Grapes of Wrath , Present at the Creation Oklahoma Digital Maps : Digital Collections of Oklahoma and Indian Territory The Grapes of Wrath on Open Library at the Internet Archive `` National Steinbeck Center in Salinas , CA '' . steinbeck.org . National Steinbeck Center . Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 1918 -- 1925 His Family by Ernest Poole ( 1918 ) The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington ( 1919 ) The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton ( 1921 ) Alice Adams by Booth Tarkington ( 1922 ) One of Ours by Willa Cather ( 1923 ) The Able McLaughlins by Margaret Wilson ( 1924 ) So Big by Edna Ferber ( 1925 ) 1926 -- 1950 Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis ( declined ) ( 1926 ) Early Autumn by Louis Bromfield ( 1927 ) The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder ( 1928 ) Scarlet Sister Mary by Julia Peterkin ( 1929 ) Laughing Boy by Oliver La Farge ( 1930 ) Years of Grace by Margaret Ayer Barnes ( 1931 ) The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck ( 1932 ) The Store by Thomas Sigismund Stribling ( 1933 ) Lamb in His Bosom by Caroline Pafford Miller ( 1934 ) Now in November by Josephine Winslow Johnson ( 1935 ) Honey in the Horn by Harold L. Davis ( 1936 ) Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell ( 1937 ) The Late George Apley by John Phillips Marquand ( 1938 ) The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings ( 1939 ) The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck ( 1940 ) In This Our Life by Ellen Glasgow ( 1942 ) Dragon 's Teeth by Upton Sinclair ( 1943 ) Journey in the Dark by Martin Flavin ( 1944 ) A Bell for Adano by John Hersey ( 1945 ) All the King 's Men by Robert Penn Warren ( 1947 ) Tales of the South Pacific by James A. Michener ( 1948 ) Guard of Honor by James Gould Cozzens ( 1949 ) The Way West by A.B. Guthrie Jr. ( 1950 ) 1951 -- 1975 The Town by Conrad Richter ( 1951 ) The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk ( 1952 ) The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway ( 1953 ) A Fable by William Faulkner ( 1955 ) Andersonville by MacKinlay Kantor ( 1956 ) A Death in the Family by James Agee ( 1958 ) The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters by Robert Lewis Taylor ( 1959 ) Advise and Consent by Allen Drury ( 1960 ) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee ( 1961 ) The Edge of Sadness by Edwin O'Connor ( 1962 ) The Reivers by William Faulkner ( 1963 ) The Keepers of the House by Shirley Ann Grau ( 1965 ) The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter by Katherine Anne Porter ( 1966 ) The Fixer by Bernard Malamud ( 1967 ) The Confessions of Nat Turner by William Styron ( 1968 ) House Made of Dawn by N. Scott Momaday ( 1969 ) The Collected Stories of Jean Stafford by Jean Stafford ( 1970 ) Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner ( 1972 ) The Optimist 's Daughter by Eudora Welty ( 1973 ) The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara ( 1975 ) 1976 -- 2000 Humboldt 's Gift by Saul Bellow ( 1976 ) Elbow Room by James Alan McPherson ( 1978 ) The Stories of John Cheever by John Cheever ( 1979 ) The Executioner 's Song by Norman Mailer ( 1980 ) A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole ( 1981 ) Rabbit Is Rich by John Updike ( 1982 ) The Color Purple by Alice Walker ( 1983 ) Ironweed by William Kennedy ( 1984 ) Foreign Affairs by Alison Lurie ( 1985 ) Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry ( 1986 ) A Summons to Memphis by Peter Taylor ( 1987 ) Beloved by Toni Morrison ( 1988 ) Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler ( 1989 ) The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love by Oscar Hijuelos ( 1990 ) Rabbit at Rest by John Updike ( 1991 ) A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley ( 1992 ) A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain by Robert Olen Butler ( 1993 ) The Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx ( 1994 ) The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields ( 1995 ) Independence Day by Richard Ford ( 1996 ) Martin Dressler : The Tale of an American Dreamer by Steven Millhauser ( 1997 ) American Pastoral by Philip Roth ( 1998 ) The Hours by Michael Cunningham ( 1999 ) Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri ( 2000 ) 2001 -- present The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon ( 2001 ) Empire Falls by Richard Russo ( 2002 ) Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides ( 2003 ) The Known World by Edward P. Jones ( 2004 ) Gilead by Marilynne Robinson ( 2005 ) March by Geraldine Brooks ( 2006 ) The Road by Cormac McCarthy ( 2007 ) The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz ( 2008 ) Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout ( 2009 ) Tinkers by Paul Harding ( 2010 ) A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan ( 2011 ) No award given ( 2012 ) The Orphan Master 's Son by Adam Johnson ( 2013 ) The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt ( 2014 ) All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr ( 2015 ) The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen ( 2016 ) The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead ( 2017 ) Works by John Steinbeck Novels and novellas Cup of Gold ( 1929 ) The Red Pony ( 1933 ) To a God Unknown ( 1933 ) Tortilla Flat ( 1935 ) In Dubious Battle ( 1936 ) Of Mice and Men ( 1937 ) The Grapes of Wrath ( 1939 ) The Moon Is Down ( 1942 ) Cannery Row ( 1945 ) The Wayward Bus ( 1947 ) The Pearl ( 1947 ) Burning Bright ( 1950 ) East of Eden ( 1952 ) Sweet Thursday ( 1954 ) The Short Reign of Pippin IV : A Fabrication ( 1957 ) The Winter of Our Discontent ( 1961 ) The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights ( 1976 ) Short story collections The Pastures of Heaven ( 1932 ) The Long Valley ( 1938 ) Screenplays The Forgotten Village ( 1941 ) The Pearl ( 1947 ) The Red Pony ( 1949 ) Viva Zapata ! ( 1952 ) Adaptations Of Mice and Men Of Mice and Men ( 1937 play ) Of Mice and Men ( 1939 film ) Of Mice and Men ( 1969 opera ) Of Mice and Men ( 1992 film ) Best Laid Plans ( 2012 film ) The Grapes of Wrath The Grapes of Wrath ( 1940 film ) The Grapes of Wrath ( 1988 play ) The Grapes of Wrath ( 2007 opera ) The Red Pony The Red Pony ( 1949 film ) The Red Pony ( 1949 film score ) The Red Pony ( 1973 film ) Other Tortilla Flat ( 1942 film ) The Moon Is Down ( 1943 film ) La perla ( The Pearl ) ( 1947 film ) East of Eden ( 1955 film ) The Wayward Bus ( 1957 film ) East of Eden ( 1981 miniseries ) Cannery Row ( 1982 film ) The Winter of Our Discontent ( 1983 film ) In Dubious Battle ( 2016 film ) Non-fiction Sea of Cortez : A Leisurely Journal of Travel and Research ( 1941 ) Bombs Away : The Story of a Bomber Team ( 1942 ) A Russian Journal ( 1948 ) The Log from the Sea of Cortez ( 1951 ) Once There Was a War ( 1958 ) Travels with Charley ( 1962 ) America and Americans ( 1966 ) Journal of a Novel : The East of Eden Letters ( 1969 ) John Steinbeck 's The Grapes of Wrath ( 1939 ) Characters Tom Joad Jim Casy Grandpa William James Joad Ruthie Joad Connie Rivers Muley Graves Performances The Grapes of Wrath ( 1940 film ) The Grapes of Wrath ( 1988 play ) The Grapes of Wrath ( 2007 opera ) Music `` The Ghost of Tom Joad '' Dust Bowl Ballads ( `` Tom Joad '' `` Do Re Mi '' ) `` Pastures of Plenty '' Dust and Dreams Related Great Depression Dust Bowl Blue Willow `` Over Logging '' `` The Battle Hymn of the Republic '' VIAF : 178502508 LCCN : no2008156136 GND : 4305432 - 8 SUDOC : 02736304X BNF : cb119421113 ( data ) BNE : XX2043346 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Grapes_of_Wrath&oldid=837924566 '' Categories : 1939 American novels Culture of Bakersfield , California U.S. Route 66 Novels set in Oklahoma Novels set in California History of Southern California Great Plains American novels adapted into films Novels by John Steinbeck National Book Award for Fiction winning works Pulitzer Prize for the Novel - winning works Dust Bowl Great Depression novels American novels adapted into plays Viking Press books The Grapes of Wrath Novels adapted into operas Hidden categories : Use mdy dates from February 2013 Articles needing additional references from April 2017 All articles needing additional references All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from October 2014 All articles lacking reliable references Articles lacking reliable references from July 2014 All articles with failed verification Articles with failed verification from July 2014 Articles with Open Library links Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikiquote تۆرکجه Башҡортса Български Català Čeština Dansk Deutsch Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français Galego 한국어 Hrvatski Íslenska Italiano עברית Кыргызча Latina Latviešu Magyar മലയാളം Bahasa Melayu Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Occitan Polski Português Русский Simple English Slovenčina Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Türkçe Українська Tiếng Việt 中文 32 more Edit links This page was last edited on 23 April 2018 , at 21 : 17 . Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply . By using this site , you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy . Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation , Inc. , a non-profit organization . About Wikipedia 
where does the grapes of wrath take place
The Grapes of Wrath First edition cover Author John Steinbeck Cover artist Elmer Hader Country United States Language English Genre Novel Publisher The Viking Press - James Lloyd Publication date April 14 , 1939 Pages 464 OCLC 289946 Dewey Decimal 813.52 First edition cover Author John Steinbeck Cover artist Elmer Hader Country United States Language English Genre Novel Publisher The Viking Press - James Lloyd Publication date April 14 , 1939 Pages 464 OCLC 289946 Dewey Decimal 813.52 The Grapes of Wrath is an American realist novel written by John Steinbeck and published in 1939 . The book won the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize for fiction , and it was cited prominently when Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1962 . Set during the Great Depression , the novel focuses on the Joads , a poor family of tenant farmers driven from their Oklahoma home by drought , economic hardship , agricultural industry changes , and bank foreclosures forcing tenant farmers out of work . Due to their nearly hopeless situation , and in part because they are trapped in the Dust Bowl , the Joads set out for California . Along with thousands of other `` Okies '' , they seek jobs , land , dignity , and a future . The Grapes of Wrath is frequently read in American high school and college literature classes due to its historical context and enduring legacy . A celebrated Hollywood film version , starring Henry Fonda and directed by John Ford , was released in 1940 . The narrative begins just after Tom Joad is paroled from McAlester prison , where he had been imprisoned after being convicted of homicide . On his return to his home near Sallisaw , Oklahoma , Tom meets former preacher Jim Casy , whom he remembers from his childhood , and the two travel together . When they arrive at Tom 's childhood farm home , they find it deserted . Disconcerted and confused , Tom and Casy meet their old neighbor , Muley Graves , who tells them the family has gone to stay at Uncle John Joad 's home nearby . Graves tells them that the banks have evicted all the farmers , but he refuses to leave the area . The next morning , Tom and Casy go to Uncle John 's . Tom finds his family loading their remaining possessions into a Hudson Motor Car Company sedan converted to a truck ; with their crops destroyed by the Dust Bowl , the family has defaulted on their bank loans , and their farm has been repossessed . Consequently , the Joads see no option but to seek work in California , described in handbills as fruitful and offering high pay . The Joads put everything they have into making the journey . Although leaving Oklahoma would violate his parole , Tom decides it is worth the risk , and invites Casy to join him and his family . Traveling west on Route 66 , the Joad family find the road crowded with other migrants . In makeshift camps , they hear many stories from others , some returning from California , and the group worries about lessening prospects . The family dwindles as well : Grandpa dies along the road , and they bury him in a field ; Grandma dies close to the California state line ; and both Noah ( the eldest Joad son ) and Connie Rivers ( the husband of the pregnant Joad daughter , Rose of Sharon ) leave the family . Led by Ma , the remaining members realize they can only continue , as nothing is left for them in Oklahoma . Reaching California , they find the state oversupplied with labor ; wages are low , and workers are exploited to the point of starvation . The big corporate farmers are in collusion and smaller farmers suffer from collapsing prices . Weedpatch Camp , one of the clean , utility - supplied camps operated by the Resettlement Administration , a New Deal agency , offers better conditions but does not have enough resources to care for all the needy families . Nonetheless , as a Federal facility , the camp protects the migrants from harassment by California deputies . `` How can you frighten a man whose hunger is not only in his own cramped stomach but in the wretched bellies of his children ? You ca n't scare him -- he has known a fear beyond every other . '' -- Chapter 19 `` How can you frighten a man whose hunger is not only in his own cramped stomach but in the wretched bellies of his children ? You ca n't scare him -- he has known a fear beyond every other . '' -- Chapter 19 In response to the exploitation , Casy becomes a labor organizer and tries to recruit for a labor union . The remaining Joads work as strikebreakers in a peach orchard , where Casy is involved in a strike that eventually turns violent . When Tom Joad witnesses Casy 's fatal beating , he kills the attacker and flees as a fugitive . The Joads later leave the orchard for a cotton farm , where Tom is at risk of being arrested for the homicide . Tom bids his mother farewell and promises to work for the oppressed . Rose of Sharon 's baby is stillborn . Ma Joad remains steadfast and forces the family through the bereavement . With rain , the Joads ' dwelling is flooded and they move to higher ground . In the final chapter of the book , the family takes shelter from the flood in an old barn . Inside they find a young boy and his father , who is dying of starvation . Rose of Sharon takes pity on the man and offers him her breast milk to save him from starvation . Tom Joad : Protagonist of the story ; the Joad family 's second son , named after his father . Later on , Tom takes leadership of the family even though he is young . Ma Joad : Matriarch . Practical and warm - spirited , she tries to hold the family together . Her given name is never learned ; it is suggested that her maiden name was Hazlett . Pa Joad : Patriarch , also named Tom , age 50 . Hardworking sharecropper and family man . Pa becomes a broken man upon losing his livelihood and means of supporting his family , forcing Ma to assume leadership . Uncle John Joad : Pa Joad 's older brother ( Tom describes him as `` a fella about 60 '' , but in narrative he is described as 50 ) . He felt guilty about the death of his young wife years before , and has been prone to binges involving alcohol and prostitutes , but is generous with his goods . Jim Casy : A former preacher who lost his faith . He is a Christ - like figure and is based on Ed Ricketts . Al Joad : The third youngest son , a `` smart - aleck sixteen - year - older '' who cares mainly for cars and girls ; he looks up to Tom , but begins to find his own way . Rose of Sharon Joad Rivers : Childish and dreamy teenage daughter ( 18 ) who develops into a mature woman . Pregnant in the beginning of the novel , she delivers a stillborn baby , perhaps due to malnutrition . Connie Rivers : Rose of Sharon 's husband . Nineteen years old and naïve , he is overwhelmed by marriage and impending fatherhood ; he abandons his wife shortly after they arrive in California . Noah Joad : The oldest son , he is the first to leave the family , planning to live off fishing on the Colorado River . Injured at birth and described as `` strange '' , he may have slight learning difficulties . Grampa Joad : Tom 's grandfather , who expresses his strong desire to stay in Oklahoma . His full name is given as William James Joad . Grampa is drugged by his family with `` soothin ' syrup '' to force him to leave , but he dies the first evening on the road . Casy attributes his death to a stroke but says that Grampa is `` jus ' stayin ' with the lan ' . He couldn ' leave it . '' Granma Joad : Grampa Joad 's religious wife ; she loses her will to live after his death . She dies while the family is crossing the Mojave Desert . Ruthie Joad : The youngest daughter , age twelve . She is shown to be reckless and childish . Quarreling with another child , she reveals Tom in hiding . Winfield Joad : The youngest male in the family , age ten , `` kid - wild and calfish '' . Jim Rawley : Manages the camp at Weedpatch , he shows the Joads surprising favor . Muley Graves : A neighbor of the Joads ' ; he is invited to come along to California with them but refuses . The family leave two of their dogs with him ; a third they take but it is killed by a car during their travels . Ivy and Sairy Wilson : Migrants from Kansas , they attend the death of Grampa and share the journey as far as the California state line . Mr. Wainwright : The father of Aggie Wainwright and husband of Mrs. Wainwright . Worries over his daughter Aggie . Mrs. Wainwright : Mother to Aggie Wainwright and wife to Mr. Wainwright . She helps Ma deliver Rose of Sharon 's baby . Aggie Wainwright : Sixteen - year - old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Wainwright . Intends to marry Al . Floyd Knowles : The man at the Hooverville who urges Tom and Casy to join labor organizations . His agitation results in Casy 's being jailed . Tom Joad : Protagonist of the story ; the Joad family 's second son , named after his father . Later on , Tom takes leadership of the family even though he is young . Ma Joad : Matriarch . Practical and warm - spirited , she tries to hold the family together . Her given name is never learned ; it is suggested that her maiden name was Hazlett . Pa Joad : Patriarch , also named Tom , age 50 . Hardworking sharecropper and family man . Pa becomes a broken man upon losing his livelihood and means of supporting his family , forcing Ma to assume leadership . Uncle John Joad : Pa Joad 's older brother ( Tom describes him as `` a fella about 60 '' , but in narrative he is described as 50 ) . He felt guilty about the death of his young wife years before , and has been prone to binges involving alcohol and prostitutes , but is generous with his goods . Jim Casy : A former preacher who lost his faith . He is a Christ - like figure and is based on Ed Ricketts . Al Joad : The third youngest son , a `` smart - aleck sixteen - year - older '' who cares mainly for cars and girls ; he looks up to Tom , but begins to find his own way . Rose of Sharon Joad Rivers : Childish and dreamy teenage daughter ( 18 ) who develops into a mature woman . Pregnant in the beginning of the novel , she delivers a stillborn baby , perhaps due to malnutrition . Connie Rivers : Rose of Sharon 's husband . Nineteen years old and naïve , he is overwhelmed by marriage and impending fatherhood ; he abandons his wife shortly after they arrive in California . Noah Joad : The oldest son , he is the first to leave the family , planning to live off fishing on the Colorado River . Injured at birth and described as `` strange '' , he may have slight learning difficulties . Grampa Joad : Tom 's grandfather , who expresses his strong desire to stay in Oklahoma . His full name is given as William James Joad . Grampa is drugged by his family with `` soothin ' syrup '' to force him to leave , but he dies the first evening on the road . Casy attributes his death to a stroke but says that Grampa is `` jus ' stayin ' with the lan ' . He couldn ' leave it . '' Granma Joad : Grampa Joad 's religious wife ; she loses her will to live after his death . She dies while the family is crossing the Mojave Desert . Ruthie Joad : The youngest daughter , age twelve . She is shown to be reckless and childish . Quarreling with another child , she reveals Tom in hiding . Winfield Joad : The youngest male in the family , age ten , `` kid - wild and calfish '' . Jim Rawley : Manages the camp at Weedpatch , he shows the Joads surprising favor . Muley Graves : A neighbor of the Joads ' ; he is invited to come along to California with them but refuses . The family leave two of their dogs with him ; a third they take but it is killed by a car during their travels . Ivy and Sairy Wilson : Migrants from Kansas , they attend the death of Grampa and share the journey as far as the California state line . Mr. Wainwright : The father of Aggie Wainwright and husband of Mrs. Wainwright . Worries over his daughter Aggie . Mrs. Wainwright : Mother to Aggie Wainwright and wife to Mr. Wainwright . She helps Ma deliver Rose of Sharon 's baby . Aggie Wainwright : Sixteen - year - old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Wainwright . Intends to marry Al . Floyd Knowles : The man at the Hooverville who urges Tom and Casy to join labor organizations . His agitation results in Casy 's being jailed . This section relies largely or entirely on a single source . Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page . Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources . ( April 2017 ) This section relies largely or entirely on a single source . Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page . Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources . ( April 2017 ) Many scholars note Steinbeck for his many uses of Christian imagery within The Grapes of Wrath . The largest implications lie with Tom Joad and Jim Casy , who are both interpreted as Christ - like figures at certain intervals within the novel . These two are often interpreted together , with Jim Casy representing Jesus Christ in the early days of his ministry , up until his death , which is interpreted as representing the death of Christ . From there , Tom takes over , rising in Casy 's place as the Christ figure risen from the dead . However , the religious imagery is not limited to these two characters . Scholars have regularly inspected other characters and plot points within the novel , including Ma Joad , Rose of Sharon , Rose of Sharon 's stillborn child , and Uncle John . In an article first published in 2009 , Ken Eckert even compared the migrant 's movement west as a reversed version of the slaves ' escape from Egypt in Exodus . Many of these extreme interpretations are brought on by Steinbeck 's own documented beliefs , which Eckert himself refers to as `` unorthodox . '' 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 can not know . For the quality of owning freezes you forever into `` I '' , and cuts you off forever from the `` we '' . Steinbeck was known to have borrowed from field notes taken during 1938 by Farm Security Administration worker and author Sanora Babb . While Babb collected personal stories about the lives of the displaced migrants for a novel she was developing , her supervisor , Tom Collins , shared her reports with Steinbeck , then working at the San Francisco News . Babb 's own novel , Whose Names Are Unknown , was eclipsed in 1939 by the success of The Grapes of Wrath and was shelved until it was finally published in 2004 , a year before Babb 's death . The Grapes of Wrath developed from The Harvest Gypsies , a series of seven articles that ran in the San Francisco News , from October 5 to 12 , 1936 . The newspaper commissioned that work on migrant workers from the Midwest in California 's agriculture industry . ( It was later compiled and published separately . ) This section needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . ( April 2017 ) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message ) This section needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . ( April 2017 ) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message ) While writing the novel at his home , 16250 Greenwood Lane , in what is now Monte Sereno , California , Steinbeck had unusual difficulty devising a title . The Grapes of Wrath , suggested by his wife Carol Steinbeck , was deemed more suitable than anything by the author . The title is a reference to lyrics from `` The Battle Hymn of the Republic '' , by Julia Ward Howe ( emphasis added ) : 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 hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword : His truth is marching on . These lyrics refer , in turn , to the biblical passage Revelation 14 : 19 -- 20 , an apocalyptic appeal to divine justice and deliverance from oppression in the final judgment . This and other biblical passages had inspired a long tradition of imagery of Christ in the winepress , in various media . The passage reads : And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth , and gathered the vine of the earth , and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God . And the winepress was trodden without the city , and blood came out of the winepress , even unto the horse bridles , by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs . The phrase also appears at the end of chapter 25 in Steinbeck 's book , which describes the purposeful destruction of food to keep the price high : ( A ) nd in the eyes of the hungry there is a growing wrath . In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy , growing heavy for the vintage . The image invoked by the title serves as a crucial symbol in the development of both the plot and the novel 's greater thematic concerns : from the terrible winepress of Dust Bowl oppression will come terrible wrath but also the deliverance of workers through their cooperation . This is suggested but not realized within the novel . When preparing to write the novel , Steinbeck wrote : `` I want to put a tag of shame on the greedy bastards who are responsible for this ( the Great Depression and its effects ) . '' He famously said , `` I 've done my damnedest to rip a reader 's nerves to rags . '' This work won a large following among the working class due to Steinbeck 's sympathy for the migrants and workers ' movement , and his accessible prose style . Steinbeck scholar John Timmerman sums up the book 's influence : `` The Grapes of Wrath may well be the most thoroughly discussed novel -- in criticism , reviews , and college classrooms -- of 20th century American literature . '' The Grapes of Wrath is referred to as a Great American Novel . At the time of publication , Steinbeck 's novel `` was a phenomenon on the scale of a national event . It was publicly banned and burned by citizens , it was debated on national radio ; but above all , it was read . '' According to The New York Times , it was the best - selling book of 1939 and 430,000 copies had been printed by February 1940 . In that month it won the National Book Award , favorite fiction book of 1939 , voted by members of the American Booksellers Association . Soon it won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction . The book was noted for Steinbeck 's passionate depiction of the plight of the poor , and many of his contemporaries attacked his social and political views . Bryan Cordyack writes , `` Steinbeck was attacked as a propagandist and a socialist from both the left and the right of the political spectrum . The most fervent of these attacks came from the Associated Farmers of California ; they were displeased with the book 's depiction of California farmers ' attitudes and conduct toward the migrants . They denounced the book as a ' pack of lies ' and labeled it ' communist propaganda ' '' . Some accused Steinbeck of exaggerating camp conditions to make a political point . Steinbeck had visited the camps well before publication of the novel and argued their inhumane nature destroyed the settlers ' spirit . In 1962 , the Nobel Prize committee cited Grapes of Wrath as a `` great work '' and as one of the committee 's main reasons for granting Steinbeck the Nobel Prize for Literature . In 2005 Time magazine included the novel in its `` TIME 100 Best English - language Novels from 1923 to 2005 '' . In 2009 , The Daily Telegraph of the United Kingdom included the novel in its `` 100 novels everyone should read '' . In 1998 , the Modern Library ranked The Grapes of Wrath tenth on its list of the 100 best English - language novels of the 20th century . In 1999 , French newspaper Le Monde of Paris ranked The Grapes of Wrath as seventh on its list of the 100 best books of the 20th century . In the UK , it was listed at number 29 among the `` nation 's best loved novels '' on the BBC 's 2003 survey The Big Read . The book was quickly made into a famed , 1940 Hollywood movie of the same name directed by John Ford and starring Henry Fonda as Tom Joad . The first part of the film version follows the book fairly accurately . However , the second half and the ending , in particular , differ significantly from the book . John Springer , author of The Fondas ( Citadel , 1973 ) , said of Henry Fonda and his role in film version of The Grapes of Wrath : `` The Great American Novel made one of the few enduring Great American Motion Pictures . '' The documentary American : The Bill Hicks Story ( 2009 ) revealed that The Grapes of Wrath was comedian Bill Hicks ' favorite novel . He based his famous last words on Tom Joad 's final speech : `` I left in love , in laughter , and in truth , and wherever truth , love and laughter abide , I am there in spirit . '' In July 2013 , Steven Spielberg announced his plans to direct a remake of The Grapes of Wrath for DreamWorks . Woody Guthrie 's two - part song -- `` Tom Joad -- Parts 1 & 2 '' -- from the album Dust Bowl Ballads ( 1940 ) , explores the protagonist 's life after being paroled from prison . It was covered in 1988 by Andy Irvine , who recorded both parts as a single song -- `` Tom Joad '' -- on Patrick Street 's second album , No. 2 Patrick Street . The song `` Here Comes that Rainbow Again '' by Kris Kristofferson ( 1981 ) is based on the scene in the roadside diner where Pa Joad buys a loaf of bread and two candy sticks for Ruthie and Winfield . The band The Mission UK included a song , titled `` The Grapes of Wrath '' , in their album Carved in Sand ( 1990 ) . The progressive rock band Camel released an album , titled Dust and Dreams ( 1991 ) , inspired by the novel . American rock singer - songwriter Bruce Springsteen named his 11th studio album , The Ghost of Tom Joad ( 1995 ) , after the character . The first track on the album is titled `` The Ghost of Tom Joad '' . The song -- and to a lesser extent , the other songs on the album -- draws comparisons between the Dust Bowl and modern times . Rage Against the Machine recorded a version of `` The Ghost of Tom Joad '' in 1997 . Like Andy Irvine in 1988 , Dick Gaughan recorded Woody Guthrie 's `` Tom Joad '' on his album Outlaws & Dreamers ( 2001 ) . An opera based on the novel was co-produced by the Minnesota Opera , and Utah Symphony and Opera , with music by Ricky Ian Gordon and libretto by Michael Korie . The opera made its world premiere in February 2007 , to favorable local reviews . Bad Religion have a song entitled `` Grains of Wraith '' on their album , New Maps of Hell ( 2007 ) . Bad Religion lead vocalist , Greg Graffin , is a fan of Steinbeck 's . The song `` Dust Bowl Dance '' on Mumford & Sons ' album Sigh No More ( 2009 ) is based on the novel . Pink Floyd 's song `` Sorrow '' , written by David Gilmour , from the album A Momentary Lapse of Reason is thematically derived / based on the novel . The Steppenwolf Theatre Company produced a stage version of the book , adapted by Frank Galati . Gary Sinise played Tom Joad for its entire run of 188 performances on Broadway in 1990 . One of these performances was filmed and shown on PBS the following year . In 1990 , the Illegitimate Players theater company in Chicago produced Of Grapes and Nuts , an original , satirical mash - up of The Grapes of Wrath and Steinbeck 's acclaimed novella Of Mice and Men .
Oklahoma Oklahoma