The Grapes of Wrath

by John Steinbeck

The Grapes of Wrath, first published in 1939, is a empathetic and haunting account of a family displaced by the Dustbowl during the Great Depression. Called Steinbeck's greatest novel, it won a Pulitzer prize. As you read the book, complete the following activities:

1. For each chapter in the book, choose a passage which, in your view, is important to the novel. Write the passage in your notebook, write a brief commentary which tells why you think it is important, and draw an illustration, symbol or other drawing that represents the passage or the chapter.

Chapter 1

Passage: "Men stood by their fences and looked at the ruined corn, drying fast now, only a little green showing through the film of dust. The men were silent and they did not move often. And the women came out of the houses to stand beside their men--to feel whether this time the men would break." (p. 6)

Commentary: The drought and dust storms have destroyed the corn crops, and the women are worried that their husbands will not have the strength to keep on going and figure out what to do. They and the children wait to see what will happen, but at the end of the chapter, the men do not break. This seems to suggest that they have gone through difficult times before, but "this time" it's even worse.

2. You will participate in a weekly seminar on this book. Follow this schedule:

Tuesday, Feb. 13    - Chapters 1-10
Tuesday, Feb. 20    - Chapters 11- 18
Tuesday, Feb. 27    - Chapters 19 - 24
Tuesday, Mar. 6     - Chapters 25 - 30

Your passages and commentaries are your "ticket" for admission into the seminar.

3. Finally, write four letters, one for each section, as they might have been written by a Joad family member to your character. Create a relationship between you and the family member. Why might s/he be writing to you?

The letters should follow the chronology of the story.
The letters should be artifacts in your Thirties Scrapbook
Letters are each (roughly) 250 words in length, refer to events in the story, portray the feelings and reactions of the character(s) to the events, and make reference to your character.