Dignity in Indignity. Review on Grapes of Wrath, The - John Steinbeck

I bought The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, more than a year back, in a typical book buying frenzy that I get into, once in a while. I started reading it up couple of times, only to keep it aside, as I just could not go past the first few pages. Then last month I picked it up again; this time however, I couldn't keep it away at all. It just wouldn't let me...

Let's start with the customary warning: this book is not for the light-hearted. It will give a nauseating feeling, make you run away from reality, or just deny it. And, it will shake your sensibilities, thoroughly. It's a very depressing and disturbing read.

The Grapes of Wrath is the story of the Joad family from a small town of Oklahoma. The Joads are driven out of their land, as dust storms destroy their crops; their land and homes taken over by the bank. The family decides to move to the promised land of California, where there is enough work for everyone, according to pamphlets that are making news in their town.

With limited resources, and an old car, the Joads ride towards the promise-land. The journey to the land itself is harsh, with enough troubles and indignities. But when they actually reach California, they reality hits them hard. Okies as they are called, the landless farmers from Oklahoma, are living there in camps, in conditions close to hell. Rich land owners are exploiting the desperate migrant labour, with the help of local administration. The promise of unlimited work proves to be just as empty. The Joads, like countless other okies, are left with nothing but their dignity, and even that is challenged every now and then.

The Grapes of Wrath, is a horrid tale of the have-nots, that makes you question most of your assumptions about the world. Yes, it has a strong socialistic bias, but as you read the book, you start realizing, that the the misery of the dispossessed has nothing to do with any ism.

The climax of the book is probably the most tragic, and yet, ironically, the most hopeful climax that has ever been written (in my obviously limited knowledge). It just shocks you into seeing a naked reality, that most of

us haves have learnt to ignore.

Strangely, the book, even at the backdrop of a grim -- almost malevolent -- worldview, talks about the ultimate triumph of human dignity, that sets the book above many in that league. It's a classic, relevant in every age. The only reason why I'm not giving it five stars, is because of the extremely slow pace.