But what really struck me about this great book was the fact that, though published in 1939, it felt as though it were depicting a very contemporary story. The Joads' hardships and their odyssey in search of El Dorado could be (and it has been) retold in countless occasions and circumstances, whenever a migrant community falls victim to rapacious and benefit-led people; by following the adventures of the Joads, you will find yourself with a story that is depressingly similar to what we daily read and witness in many parts throughout the world.
Perhaps unsurprisingly- giving the fact that the book is a direct denunciation of the consequences of unregulated and wild capitalism- The Grapes of Wrath was criticised by some people when it was first published; it was accused of having socialist leanings* and a smear campaign was orchestrated by politicians and the media. Again, this sounds all too familiar and similar cases happen every so often, whenever an inconvenient truth is aired.
Today, individuals and families find themselves in similar situations; the current financial meltdown offers no perspective and migration is the only option left again for many people in these bleak times. A new generation is on the move and, almost a century later, things are not much different to what the Joads went through. Remember the 'we are the 99% campaign'?
John Ford's film based on the book has contributed to further the book's popularity, thus giving faces to the different family members we get to know so well. Bruce Springsteen also wrote a song with his own lyrics inspired by this universal story for his 1995 album The Ghost of Tom Joad ('I'm sitting down here in the campfire light/ Waitin' on the ghost of Tom Joad').
It is not an easy read and it won't have you laughing out loud but it is as relevant, haunting and poignant as it was in 1939. To me, that is the true sign of a major piece of art. A must-read, if you ask me.
*Source: Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism ©2003 Gale Cengage
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