the grapes of wrath- why do we still read this book.

I think that we still are forced to read the book 'The Grapes of Wrath' because the message in it is an important and inspirational one. In this book, the characters have to overcome a lot of struggles in order to stay alive and to keep their families alive. After the horrible drought and their crops being destroyed, the characters had some very tough times to face. They were already struggling with the Great Depression, and the dust bowl did not help them with their problems. Now the farmers had to make a very difficult decision. They had no choice really but to move on to try to find a new job so that they could support their families. They had to pack up their belongings and travel the long, hard journey on to California. California promised the farmers who had lost everything hope and the possibility of a new job and a good life. They had so many obstacles to overcome and they had to work very hard just to get what we take for granted today. The farmers struggled for a long time just for the chance to get a job. Today, we complain about having to go to work. Working is a chore for us. Back then, they would have been happy to be able to work and just to have a job. Today, it would be unheard of for us to just pack up and leave our homes with out a plan of where we would live or what job we would have. That is exactly what the characters had to do in this book. They did not know whether or not they would actually be able to find a job when and if they actually made it to California. It was a very risky move to make, but it was the best chance the farmers had at getting a job and having a better life. It is inspirational to me what the farmers went through in this book to provide for their families.


Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2002. Print.