In 1939, John Steinbeck wrote a novel which would become one of the most controversial
books of all time. It would also become one of the most celebrated works of American literature.
What was this novel? Why was it so controversial?
The Grapes of Wrath focuses on the Joad family, poor sharecroppers from Oklahoma who have
to leave their home because of the Dust Bowl and the other economic hardships associated
with the Great Depression. In an effort to change their luck, they set out for California,
along with thousands of other Okies.
The book was first published on March 14, 1939. By May, it was at the top of the best
sellers list, and by the end of 1939, almost 500,000 copies had been sold. Its price of
$2.75 was fairly reasonable at the time, which allowed many people to purchase copies. Even
those who had never read a book before were buying it. Bookstores were sold out, and there
were waiting lists at libraries that were months long.
The book paints an incredibly vivid picture of the hardships endured by the Dust Bowl's
migrant workers. It also illustrates how the migrants were treated after arriving in California.
When people read it, they were shocked by the poverty and homelessness presented in
the story.
However, not everyone liked what they were reading. There were claims that the book exaggerated
the hardships of the Okies. Many declared that it was impossible for such horrible circumstances
to exist in the United States of America. Also, citizens of California were displeased
with the way Steinbeck portrayed the Californian attitude towards the migrants. The Associated
Farmers of California denounced the book as a pack of lies.
Some criticized the novel for other reasons. It emphasized cooperative solutions to economic
problems instead of individualistic solutions. Because of these themes, many people felt
it was pro-socialist or pro-communist.
Because of the book's controversial nature, it was banned from many libraries across the
country. One group in California called for "widespread denouncement against the book
before school opens and our boys and girls find such filthy material on the shelves of
our public library."
National radio programs debated the merits of the book, and it was even publicly burned
in Buffalo, New York; East St. Louis, Illinois; and in several communities in California.
Oklahoma Representative Lyle Boren went as far as denouncing the book in Congress as
a vulgar lie. However, much of this uproar died down when Eleanor Roosevelt praised the
book and defended Steinbeck.
In 1939, The Grapes of Wrath won the Pulitzer Prize for a Novel, and the popularity of the
book has endured to this day. John Steinbeck's novel has been translated into many different
languages including French, German, and Japanese.
The Grapes of Wrath remains banned in many school libraries across the nation. However,
it is probably the most discussed and debated American novel of the 20th Century and will
always be considered one of the classics of American literature.