Reading The Grapes of Wrath Susan Shillinglaw, San José State University

Writing Title citizenry by falsely implying that many of Working Days: The Journals of The From “The Battle Hymn of the Repub- our fine people are a low, ignorant, profane Grapes of Wrath, edited by Robert DeMott lic,” by Julia Ward Howe (1861—appeared and blasphemous type living in a vicious tells of the March-October, 1938 writing first inAtlantic Monthly in February 1862). and filthy manner.” of Grapes, a book written in 100 “working “I should like the whole thing to go in as a page at By the Kansas City Board of Education days.” the beginning. All the verses and the music. This (August 1939) from schools. “The new book is going well. Too fast. I’m is one of the great songs of the world, and as you Burned having to hold it down. I don’t want it to go so read the book you will realize that the words have On the curb by the Salinas Public Library fast for fear the tempo will be fast and this is a a special meaning in this book. And I should like On the sidewalk in Bakersfield plodding, crawling book. So I’m holding it down the music to be put there in case anyone, any one to approximately six pages a day . . . Anyway it forgets. The title, Battle Hymn of the Repub- Condemned is a nice thing to be working and believing in my lic, in itself has a special meaning in the light of By the Associated Farmers (formed work again. I hope I can keep the drive all fall. this book.” (JS to editor Pat Covici) in 1934): “Although the As- sociated Farmers will not I like it. I only feel whole and well when it is this Publication: way.” attempt to have the book “It must be far and away the best thing I April 14, 1939, $2.75 banned or suppressed, By May 6, two weeks after publication, have ever attempted. Slow but sure, piling detail we would not want our it was at the top of the best seller list. Top on detail until a picture and an experience women and children to best seller of 1939; it was in the top 10 best- emerge. Until the whole throbbing thing emerges.” read so vulgar a book. sellers of 1940. (June 10, 1938) This is a matter for Viking had never had sales approach- consideration by Method ing this rate; books shipped from Viking in public bodies. We “Throughout I’ve tried to make the reader first month: deny the state- participate in the actuality, what he takes from it Up to publication: 45, 918 ments in the book, will be scaled entirely on his own depth or hollow- Week ending April 21: 10, 263 so consequently Tom Joad ness. There are 5 layers in this book; a reader will Week ending April 28: 4, 738 if we were to seek find as many as he can and he won’t find more Week ending May 5: 7, 986 for a ban, our motive would be attacked. . than he has in himself.” Week ending May 12: 8, 506 . . . . The only inference that can be obtained May 15, 16, 17: 5, 950 from Steinbeck’s book is that he is propos- “You say the inner chapters were coun- In the 1990s, The Grapes of Wrath sold ing exactly the same sort of overthrow of terpoint and so they were—that they were pace 150,000-200,000 copies in the US annually. the present form of government and the changers and they were that too but the basic substitution of collective agriculture as purpose was to hit the reader below the belt. With Banned By the San Jose Public Library (June did Carey McWilliams in his Factories in the the rhythms and symbols of poetry one can get Fields. (August 1939) into a reader—open him up and while he is open 1939) as “unfit for patrons” By the Kern County Board of Supervi- By the Oklahoma City Times: “Any introduce—things on an intellectual level which reader who has his roots planted in the he would not or could not receive unless he were sors from schools and libraries (August 1939) for being “filled with profanity, lewd, red soil will boil with indignation over the opened up. It is a psychological trick if you wish bedraggled, bestial characters that will give but all techniques of writing are psychological foul and obscene language unfit for use in tricks.” (JS to Herbert Sturtz, 1953) American homes . . . It has offended our See other side Continued from front Film, 1940 Translated the ignorant east convincing confirmation Gone with the Wind opened on Decem- Into 43 languages of their ideas of the people of the south- ber 15, 1939 and John Ford’s The Grapes of Impact Wrath opened on January 24, 1940 west . . . if you have children, I’d advise Cesar Chavez: Screenplay by Nunnally Johnson against leaving the book around home. It “And when I read Grapes of Wrath . . . has Tobacco Road looking as pure as Char- Directed by John Ford * that was like reliving my life. Particularly lotte Bronte, when it comes to obscene, Photography by Gregg Toland the part where they lived in this Govern- vulgar, lewd, stable language.” Produced by Darryl F. Zanuck ment camp. Because when we were picking Provoked political change Twentieth Century Fox fruit in Texas, we lived in a Government The Committee to Aid Agricultural Tom Joad: Henry Fonda place like that. They came around, and they helped the women make mattresses. See, Organization, or the John Steinbeck Com- Casy: John Carradine we didn’t have anything. And they showed mittee to Aid Agricultural Organization on Muley: John Qyalen Housing Health and Relief for Agricultural us how to sew and make dresses. And every Policeman: Ward Bond Workers in 1938 listed on their letterhead Saturday night, we’d have a dance. And John Steinbeck as their “State Chairman.” Noah: Frank Sully when I was reading Grapes of Wrath this was Grampa: Charley Grapewin just like my life. I was never so proud of Bestsellers of 1939 poor people before, as I was after I read that Uncle John: Frank Darien The San Francisco Chronicle, on April book.” (interview with Studs Terkel) 16, 1939, listed Grapes as the number one Rosasharn: Dorris Bowdon best seller (two days after publication). Winfield: Darryl Hickman In order, other best sellers were Wickford Pa Joad: Russell Simpson Point by J.P. Marquand, Beware of Pity, Ruthie Joad: Shirley Mills Stefan Zweig; Seasoned Timber by Dorothy Camp Director: Grant Mitchell Canfield, andRebecca , by Daphne du Mau- rier . . . Mein Kampf was #3 in non-fiction. Al: O.Z. Whitehead ABA National Book Awards for 1939 Ma Joad: Jane Darwell * honored Grapes as “The Booksellers’ Favor- * Academy Award ite Novel.” The ABA honored Johnny Got Center for Steinbeck Studies His Gun by Dalton Trumbo as “The Most One Washington Square Original Book of the Year.” San José, CA 95192-0028 The Grapes of Wrath received the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, May 6, 1940 408-924-4588

Rosasharn