The Bookshelf

WITH a sympathetic understanding of his characters that makes them vibrantly alive, John Steinbeck has created a book of sweeping movement and feeling. The Joads of Oklahoma start with "the little fellas Ruthie an' Winfiel'", and 'teenish Al, and Rose-of-Sharon and husband Connie, and twentyish Tom and Noah; then it goes through Ma, Pa, and Uncle John to Granma and Granpa. They are individuals, but only in an emotional way; their natures are interesting for their hearts and their spirit, not their minds.

But, though independent characters, they are still part of a greater scene. The Dust Storms have pushed them along with countless thousands like them from their land of which they were so proud just because it was theirs and because it was solid and dependable. Bewildered, they drag themselves in droves to California, the land of milk and honey; their faith necessary to carry on is built on expectation of a Promised Land, where they will live in "little white houses in among the orange trees." On the road some die and some wander off. Then, once in California, they become undeceived. The third of a million new arrivals are herded, persecuted, and starved into working in the fruit and cotton fields for mere crusts of bread. As Ma and their sometime preacher Casy say, it is only their anger that keeps them on their feet. The ranch owners thereby store up for themselves the ripening grapes of wrath that seem bound to ferment and burst into a fury of action by the people.

It is the spirit of these migrants that composes the theme of the story. Steinbeck has made them real, round, solid characters. Brought up on selfreliance, now they come into conflict with things that are beyond them. The story sprouts from this base; as conditions grow worse, the spirit grows stronger. There is no resolution to the problem in the book though with no solution in sight, it ends on a note of trust in their integrity. The author has let actions speak for the morale of the people, with only occasional direct expressions of their philosophy, and this is as it should be. Interspersed are chapters of Steinbeck's own comments which do not particularly heighten the effect. For the Joads and their friends are well able to speak for themselves. They are substantial enough to maintain their courage despite the downward push of economic and social forces. It is the play of these forces that brings out the best both in Steinbeck's book and in the Joads.