The Grapes of Wrath: Just as Relevant Now as it was During the Great Depression

John Steinbeck's classic novel The Grapes of Wrath continues to endure as one of the most popular American books ever written without ever giving in to the greatest murderer of popular culture: becoming dated. The story may take place in a time far removed from the consciousness of most readers and the details may be as foreign to many of its fans as a light saber, yet Steinbeck's novel has never suffered the fate of many other American novels that captured the public's attention only to eventually fade away. The staying power of such a grim story is almost certainly attributable mainly to the fact that so many Americans can relate to the plight of its characters. The Grapes of Wrath may have been written about the Great Depression, but the socioeconomic inequalities depicted within its pages are not relegated to any specific period of American history, but instead resonates as an underlying theme of the story of this country.