Industrialism in John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath

by Louise Hawker (Editor), Dedria Bryfonski

Overview

When their farm is repossessed, the Joad family escapes to California chasing the promise of farm work. They discover that jobs are scarce, pay is poor, and migrants starve in squalid camps. John Steinbeck said his aim in writing the novel was to expose those responsible for the depression while revealing the true plight of the workers who remained constant victims of greed. This incisive volume explores issues raised in the novel, such as the need to protect migrant workers' rights, the exploitation of workers, how industrialism dehumanizes workers, how the novel changed perceptions of the homeless, and the need to protect the modern family farm from industrialism.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780737740356
Publisher:	Greenhaven Publishing LLC
Publication date:	07/17/2008
Series:	Social Issues in Literature Series
Pages:	184
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	15 - 17 Years

Table of Contents

Introduction     9
Chronology     13
The Background of John Steinbeck
The Life of John Steinbeck   Richard Astro     21
Steinbeck's Personal Observations Informed   Peter Lisca$dThe Grapes of Wrath     29
Steinbeck Was Honored for Sympathetic Portrayals of the Oppressed   Anders Osterling     37
The Grapes of Wrath and Industrialism
Reverence for the Common People   Joseph Warren Beach     43
Steinbeck Was Careful Not to Sentimentalize His Characters   Louis Owens     50
White Okies Were Not the Only Victims of Industrialism   Charles Cunningham     59
Personal Morality Is Compromised by Corporate Values   Joseph Allegretti     68
Machines of Industrialization Are Impersonal Monsters   Robert J. Griffin   William A. Freedman     81
Biblical Parallels Emphasize the Spiritual Aspect of the Joads' Journey   Joseph Fontenrose     90
Okies' Transformation from Personal to Political Struggle   Stephen Railton     102
Migrants Were Lured to California by an Unattinable Prize   Jessica B. Teisch     110
Steinbeck Exaggerated the Scale of the Okies' Misfortune   Keith Windschuttle     120
Steinbeck Helped to ChangePerceptions of the Homeless   Christina Sheehan Gold     127
Contemporary Perspectives on Industrialism
Corporations and the Government Must Protect Farm Workers' Rights   Human Rights Watch et al.     139
Corporations Must Adhere to a Code of Ethics in the Post-Enron Environment   David F. Jadwin     143
Industrialism Is Killing the Family Farm$dCircle of Responsibility     148
Oil Shortages Will Change the Definition of Industrialism   John Michael Greer     151
Home Ownership Offers Security to Immigrants   Sue Kirchhoff     158
For Further Discussion     165
For Further Reading     167
Bibliography     168
Index     172

Editorial Reviews

Review: Industrialism in John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath "This series focuses on how social issues have been presented in classic literature. These books provide a unique perspective to the United States' social issues both past and present."—ARBA, March 2009

From the Publisher