Oh, dear. I don't like to bash anything for fear it will happen to me someday. Karma and all. Having said that, I did not enjoy Grapes of Wrath. I read it one summer in high school "for fun" and didn't think it was "fun". So when it was required reading in one of my lit classes in college, I skimmed and prayed I wouldn't have to participate in class. Oh, yeah, no hiding out in the back row for me. So while I couldn't bear to read it again, I'll say this: the part I "participated in class" with was the scene in which the families in the camp get all miffed because the mother has allowed their children to lick the stew pot she's fixed her family's dinner in. The starving children go back to their families' camp sites somewhat sated, but smelling of stew, and the parents get up in arms over it. They come after the mother telling her how horrible she is for feeding their children and teasing them with the sumptuous smells of food. But wait...aren't parents supposed to die for their kids? Social commentary at its best, I'd say.
Now. I put it to you: even though I've said I didn't like Grapes of Wrath and couldn't bear to read it again, I have deep appreciation for an author who wrote something that stuck with me for 20+ years.
posted 5 months ago. ( reply )