Old Books, New Readers discussion

Hi, guys!

This is an early post and it's about:

Chapters 25-30.

This is our final week reading The Grapes of Wrath. Feel free to post your thoughts about the whole book.

Not quite done yet, but Chapter 25 shocked me. :O I can't believe how they would just waste the food! They are so against the migrants that they would rather burn/drown the food then let them have it. The last two paragraphs really bring it home, too. Steinbeck writes really well. :)

Chapter 26 made me mad and sad, all at the same time. I hope things work out for the Joads. I've got the last 4 chapters to go...

Kimberly wrote: "Not quite done yet, but Chapter 25 shocked me. :O I can't believe how they would just waste the food! They are so against the migrants that they would rather burn/drown the food then let them have ..."

Chapter 25 really shocked me too. For me it was one of the most, if not the most, powerful chapter in the whole book.

I have finished the book almost a month ago, I guess I should have posted a thread...

I thought it was a powerful book. Very well written, sparse, but everything had weight. However, the suffering was endless... quite literally, as the book had no end. They were just in the middle of yet another calamity. I was wondering if this was intentional. It seemed to me that there was no end developing at all - Steinbeck just stopped writing. Was he out of material? Just did not feel like putting a proper ending? That terrible rain and awful year of the Okies did not last forever. Where did the grapes of wrath lead to? We saw some labor organization but he implied the greed of the corporations was their undoing, yet he did not come back to this thought. The lack of finish is all the more jarring when I compare it to Of Mice and Men, which has a deliberate, increasing tension leading to the inevitable end.

What do others think of the ending? Am I the only one thinking it was unfinished?

Marta wrote: "I have finished the book almost a month ago, I guess I should have posted a thread...

I thought it was a powerful book. Very well written, sparse, but everything had weight. However, the suffering..."

I think there may be a point to it that I missed because I am not savvy enough.

By the end of this book I was pretty irritated with almost everyone in the family. The wasted food is not a shock to me I remember hearing stories of companies doing things similar to this now a days. It's sad. Here's one about food waste even in the field http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/almost...

I think the unfinished devastating ending is meant to leave you feeling as lost and angry as the people in the story. Drained of hope, depressed and sad for how our country treated it's own people. I think it is meant to make you really feel and understand what a horrible time in history it was and how so many suffered and died. I think it is meant to shock the reader to say, "God I hope this Never happens again!"
Remember this is true historically and one of Americas most shameful eras.
Several times while I was reading this book I stopped and researched the "dust bowl" and what happened to resolve this horrible situation. It is very interesting reading. The government, with Roosevelt leading, established multiple orgs. to help the people survive and to educate farmers regarding different types of soil tilling and planting, etc
Many books have unfinished endings. I use to hate them but now I realize that these are the stories that stay with me the longest and make me ponder and think what if?..... and what could?...
I think the authors love to leave us thinking intently about their books so we will never forget them

Terry wrote: "I think the unfinished devastating ending is meant to leave you feeling as lost and angry as the people in the story. Drained of hope, depressed and sad for how our country treated it's own people...."

That's a good point. I like unfinished endings more than finished ones at times. If it is fitting for the book and in this case it probably was. As far as background I didn't know much either and read The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl to learn a lot of what you learned. I think it would still be worth a look-see for ya if you wanted to read some stories from people who stayed that survived it.

I didn't like the unfinished ending either just because I like the books I read to have some sort of closure. However, I agree that the unfinished ending was fitting in this case. The way the book ended, where the characters still found a way to share even when they had nothing left, was very powerful to me.

Luella wrote: "Terry wrote: "I think the unfinished devastating ending is meant to leave you feeling as lost and angry as the people in the story. Drained of hope, depressed and sad for how our country treated it..."

that looks good, I put it on my "to read" list. Thanks

I have to admit I'm not a fan of books that don't really end. I like closure. Or, at least a next book I can read to see what happens. :) So, needless to say I was unhappy with the ending of this book. :( Not with what Rose of Sharon did, but I felt let down that there was no closure. I was happy she shared with the dying man. She didn't waste her milk, like the "big companies" did with all that food. I really wanted to know if Tom worked with the "reds" to get things changed, what happened to the Joad's next, if they ever found Connie again, etc.

I liked reading everyone's perspective on unfinished endings. :) Gave me food for thought about theses types of books, and help me see how some books really don't necessarily need "closure." I may not get my questions answered, but I understand what a good technique this was for this particular book. :)

I have read The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl a while ago, that was my first exposure to the dust bowl, which I knew nothing about. It was very interesting although it got repetitive - trim half and it would be among the best books I read. It is great on the Oklahoma side history, but I do not know what happened in California with all the Okies.

Great to see the different perspectives on the ending. While I agree it is a fitting treatment for this book, I still wonder if Steinbeck initially intended to tie up some of those threads but got so invested in the misery of the Joad family that just decided to end it and be done with it. We will never know...

I researched it a bit and basically most of the Okies stayed in CA, migrated north and learned new trades. When the war began, factories to produce war supplies, provided thousands of jobs for them.
Some returned to Oklahoma after the 3 year drought ended.

Thanks, that's good info! I figured it was not endless, after all.

I'm finally almost done with the book but I recall reading it in high school and being a bit frustrated with the ending. Generally, I don't require a lot of closure to enjoy a book. I think it depends a lot of the type of book though. Since this is based on true history, an unfinished ending might lead me to do some additional reading a research. But I was hoping to read that something good eventually happens to the Joad family, but I'm thinking that is not to be.

don't keep your hope too high : (

I finally finished the book and I really enjoyed every bit of it. Of course, the suffering and seeming hopelessness and despair were difficult. But overall, I feel it is a message of hope, of the indomitable human spirit, of family, of sharing and caring. The ending shows us that; an almost ultimate sacrifice to care for a total stranger. I don't mind "unfinished" endings like that if they lead you to think and speculate, and this certainly did that. All in all, a very satisfying read, and I'm very happy I finally go on board with this group to read some books that are out of my comfort zone.

I agree with you a nd welcome ☺