About the Grapes of Wrath Book
The Grapes of Wrath book was written by John Steinbeck and published in 1939. Due to its historical and realistic context, it is a popular academic staple in College and high school syllabuses.
The novel is set in the time of the Great Depression, and the focus is on Joads, a low-income family of farmers driven from their home by famine and hardship.
This book takes us through their travails as they try to break the shackles of this hardship and journey to California in search of a future. It is often regarded as an American classic because it exults life and brings to our understanding the problems of the people affected by the Great Depression. The Grapes of Wrath book won the Pulitzer prize and the National Book Award for Fiction.
Book Summary
The narration starts with Tom Joad being paroled from McAlester Prison, where he was incarcerated for homicide in self-defense. On his way home, he meets a former friend, and they make the journey together. When they reached their family home, it was to meet the Joads packing to leave Oklahoma for California because the depression was thick and nothing was left for them.
On their way to California, they met other displaced families and soon realized that the grass wasn’t as green in California, but it was too late to turn back. Grandpa and Grandma Joad died and were buried along the way. While Noah, the eldest Joad son, and Connie leave the family.
Upon getting to California, they work as strikebreakers in a peach orchard. After a day’s work, they are only paid enough to feed for the night. There is no happy ending to this story, and the curtains closed when the family had to move because rain flooded their dwelling and disabled their car.
The Grapes of Wrath Quotes
Due to how widely adopted this book is in colleges and high schools, students should get conversant with this novel and the compelling quotes you can in your essays. Here are a few memorable ones:
Ma Joad: “She seemed to know, to accept, to welcome her position, the citadel of the family, the strong place that could not be taken. And since Tom and the children could not know hurt or fear unless she acknowledged it, she has practiced denying them in herself.”
Ma Joad: “I’m scared of stuff so nice. I ain’t got faith. I’m scared somepin ain’t so nice about it.”
Jim Casy: “Fella gets use’ to a way a thinkin’, it’s hard to leave. I ain’t a preacher no more, but all the time I find I’m prayin’, not even thinkin’ what I’m doin’.”
Essay Structures on The Grapes of Wrath
The Grapes of Wrath genre is a versatile one. As we already mentioned, many colleges and high schools use this book as a learning tool due to the deep-rooted lessons and messages in the book. If you have been assigned to write The Grapes of Wrath book essay, then follow the standard structure below:
Introduction
The introduction paragraph of The Grapes of Wrath Book essay must grab the reader’s attention while highlighting the importance of the issues being discussed in the essay. Three essential parts of a proper introduction must include a hook, context, and thesis statement.
The hook is the opening sentence of the essay. Whatever words you write here will determine whether the reader wants to read further or stop. This is why you must use compelling themes to send your message in this paragraph. Let your hook be catchy and similar to the topic. It could be in the form of questions, quotes, or just plain facts.
After writing the opening hook, you are required to quickly brief the reader on the context of the essay so they know what to expect. This is immediately followed by your thesis statement, after which you delve into the main body.
Body
This body of text supports the main thesis by showing adequate evidence as to why you chose your present viewpoint. In The Grape of Wrath book essay, each point must have its paragraph. A paragraph consists of a topic sentence, supporting sentences, and a closing sentence. This tested structure keeps your paragraph focused on the main ideas.
Conclusion
Although this comes as the concluding part of your essay, it should not be treated as an afterthought. It is almost as important as the introduction. Through The Grapes of Wrath summary, you have shown your readers evidence and facts; by the time they conclude, they expect to reach a crescendo. Do this by providing a restatement of your thesis and including an emotional, moral lesson.
6 Tips to Consider While Writing An essay about The Grapes Of Wrath
Since writing essays is a big part of your academic syllabus as a student, it is imperative that you learn tips on how to write it perfectly. Here are some fool-proof tips to help:
Get Familiar with the Story
Before writing, you must first get familiar with the story. Read the book. When you read the book, you will form deeper connections with the characters, understanding their decisions and why they do what they do. This is important in writing because you need to know a character in-depth and get a clear view of the story, which you might not be able to do with the Grapes of Wrath summary.
Choose Interesting Titles
The Grapes of Wrath book is considered a great American novel, so you are assured of finding interesting titles to work with. Whatever title you choose, ensure it has themes that resonate with you, so research doesn’t have to be boring.
Another thing to note when choosing a title is to ensure it is neither too narrow nor too broad. When you choose a title with little bearing, you might be unable to gather extensive materials, which could be stressful.
Create the outline
To make work easier for you, you need to create a proper outline. This includes the introduction, body, and conclusion. When you make a draft in this format, it is easy to add new details clearly and concisely.
When writing your introduction, make sure to include a strong hook to prompt your reader and keep them engaged. Another important detail is ensuring your body paragraphs are sectionalized for easy reading.
Include a Thesis
A thesis statement is very important in showing the reader the main focus of the Grapes of Wrath essay. It is usually included in the concluding section of the introductory paragraph and is composed of a few sentences. Before you write the thesis, especially do college students, you must first establish interest in the topic. Therefore, a proper introductory paragraph goes like this: a hook, context/interest, and then the thesis statement.
Include a Lesson
In The Grapes of Wrath book, we are privy to the unfair working conditions the Joads family faced when they migrated from Oklahoma to California. Despite having high hopes, it was immediately squashed by how much suffering and strife they had to face just to survive each day.
This book teaches much about comprehension and how we would move forward as a nation if we all had compassion for one another.
Conclusion: Proofread your Work
All the above tips will be null if you don’t edit your work when you’re done. Proofreading is also an important part of writing your essay; no matter how late you are with your submission, you should never skip this part. There is another way out.
If you cannot do your essay, you can always reach out to us and work something out. We pay attention to deadlines and will get your Grapes of Wrath essay assignments to you in a PDF file, all in record time.
FAQs
What is The Grapes of Wrath story about?
It is about the migration of a displaced family during the period of the Oklahoma Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. It also describes the ruthless exploration of the family and other lower-class people by those in positions of power.
What is the main point of The Grapes of Wrath?
The Grapes of Wrath book mainly explains the need for cooperation and unity, especially when society faces a collective issue like famine or Dust Bowl. There is strength in togetherness; many more people would have survived if we had worked together.
Why is Grapes of Wrath controversial?
It was so controversial because many people had differing opinions about it. Some parties classified it as communist misinformation, while the Associated Farmers of California described it as “a pack of lies.”
Is Grapes of Wrath based on a true story?
No. It is purely a fictional novel and not in any way historical or based on true events. However, it was inspired by Steinbeck’s visits to labor camps.
