The Grapes of Wrath

In an interview on Globalisation

Your next book is The Grapes of Wrath.

This was first published in 1939 while the US was still grappling with the Depression, and what is brilliant about it – it’s a very harrowing read, of course – is that it reveals that economic problems can’t just be dealt with through some wave of the free-market magic wand. The sufferings that the family in this book go through you wouldn’t wish upon anybody, but their sufferings in part come about through a mixture of misfortune, misjudgment and bad luck. I think that this sense of people finding themselves hugely disadvantaged is something that has a modern-day connotation – the whole debate about immigration today is tied up with this. In both cases it’s about migrant labour. In The Grapes of Wrath it’s migrant labour from within the US, and it’s those people who are often the most vulnerable. This is the human aspect of that story, and I think that Steinbeck summarised much of what happened in the Great Depression far better than many economists did, because he really dealt with the true losses that came through for people who just happened to be down on their luck. It may still be possible to argue that free markets are the best option, but it’s important to realise that even if they’re the best option, they may not give you a perfect result. The danger people fall into is thinking it does. 

In an interview on Progressivism

Your second book is The Grapes of Wrath.

If you wanted to pick a fictional work that really had a profound impact on people’s attitudes to the union movement, and about rights, unfairness and the social contract in America, it would be The Grapes of Wrath.

Progressivism is sort of built on the notion of addressing injustice. And that obviously animates the book.

It does indeed – very, very much so. It puts it in a context that people can really understand. While there is a story that takes place between characters, the hardship and unfairness is a central element of the book. It shows how fiction can create progressive change as well. I think it had a profound impact at any rate in shaping opinions. I think we need a new Grapes of Wrath today, a modern times version. Who knows, since not enough people read that much any more?

In an interview on Progressive America

Your first book is The Grapes of Wrath. What does it have to tell us about progressivism?

It has been over 70 years since The Grapes of Wrath was
 published, yet the suffering that Steinbeck describes still hits close
 to home with families across our country still struggling to find work
 and put food on the table. 

It reminds us progressives that the day-to-day struggles of
 Americans should always remain close to our hearts. Throughout the 
years of the economic downturn there has been the sense that working
 families, the most vulnerable families, have been forgotten. I think [the book] should be reread so that we realise the extent to which the 
economy can be stacked up against America’s poor.