A Message of Hope in the Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

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Recommended: Steinbeck's views on the grapes of wrath

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck is most often perceived as a depressing that enumerates the many failings of humans during the Great Depression and in general society. Daniel Joseph Singal agrees with this viewpoint, but with a twist. In his essay “Towards a Definition of American Modernism”, Singal shares how Steinbeck also has a message of hope contained within his story of hardship. Through the dreams a Ma and Rose of Sharon Joad, Steinbeck cautions readers on the action of dreaming, because one’s fantasies do not always turn into an expected reality.
In the novel, Ma demonstrates the virtues of being a careful dreamer in the Joad family, since her abstinence from over-hope serves her well in the end. The Joads are introduced as getting ready to go to California for work. The family buzzes with excitement, idealizing California’s beauty and goodness. Ma is glad that her family has a hope of surviving the Great Depression, but at the same time, she is “scared of somepin so nice. [She] ain’t got faith. [She’s] scared that somepin ain’t so nice about it” (Steinbeck 91) Ma is c...

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