mrmesta

I first read this book while in high school, and remember not really liking it. I thought this was because I "had" to read it, rather than having chosen to read it. So I re-read this book recently, and found deep down I still was not all that enamored with it. This time I understood much better the premise dealing with the migration of farmers from the "Dust Bowl" states in the Mid West to work the fields of the Central Valley (California) during the Depression and how this led to unionization of the agricultural business. Inspite of not really liking this book do to it depressing me, I did admire the clarity in which Steinbeck told of how years of over-working the soil, combined with draught led to thousands to abandon their "family farms", packing up everything dear to them in the back of a pick-up to drive across country in order to gain work/money by harvesting crops as migrant workers. It obviously was hard on all; as former land owners were forced to abandon their land, and entire families were uprooted from communities. On top of this they now were treated terribly, as if they were second-class citizens, thus leading them to band together in a socialist manner in an attempt to force their employers to pay them livable wages and provide housing. It made me wonder how far we really have come as a society in the years since this book was written, as we still seem to be discussing many to the topics Steinbeck addressed some 80 years ago but on a world wide level now. So I guess requiring high schoolers to read this book still would be relivant; both to stimulate debate and show them the power of the written word.

2023-06-12 17:22