Introduction

The Grapes of Wrath (1939) shines light into the darkest corners of the American dream. It is John Steinbeck's greatest novel and an undisputed American classic, but upon publication, the book garnered immediate attention and fierce controversy. It soared to the top of bestseller lists, sold almost half a million hardcover copies, and received scores of positive reviews. A year later, the book was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. An indicator of its enduring significance is the fact that, since its publication, The Grapes of Wrath has sold more than fifteen million copies.

Steinbeck was inspired to write the novel after researching and producing a series of articles for the San Francisco News about migrant workers in California. He reported on the hundreds of thousands of families that fled drought- and dust-ravaged farms in the...