The Grapes of Wrath: What does the writing reveal about the author's values and attitudes?

John Steinbeck, author of The Grapes of Wrath, is a writer who knows and understands what the reader feels. When reading this book, the reader feels awful for the people in this time period and I think that this is the feeling he tried to portray. He wants us to know what they had to endure during the Great Depression. They had no food, no money, no jobs and the people of this time were forced to do whatever they had to do to ensure that their family would survive another day. John is also able to make us feel anger. The reader feels anger towards the larger farmers and the banks that pushed all of these tenant farmers off of the land that they cared for and loved.

I think that John Steinbeck values family. In this story they are all trying to survive and try to make sure that their other family members also survive. As the reader, you can tell that this family cares for one another deeply and that they would do anything for each other. I also think that John values determination. All of these people are fighting for their lives and for jobs. They sell everything they have just so that they can have the opportunity of a job in California(Steinbeck, Chapter 9). The Joads seem to not have much and they don't but they keep on pushing through the hunger and tiredness so that they can make a better life for their family.

John writes from the perspective of a suffering American. The country that is supposed to be free and prosperous is in the situation of the decade and he writes from each of the people who are suffering and struggling to survive. The reader comes to understand how these people feel towards the government, the farmers, and each other through this perspective and I think that it is very important to the concept and understanding of the book.

Steinbeck, John, and Robert J. DeMott. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 1992. Print.