In 1939, “The Grapes of Wrath,” a book by the journalist and author John Steinbeck, stood the nation on its ear with its heart-rending tale of the family Joad and their struggle just to eat. Their ...

When Steinbeck set off to write The Grapes of Wrath in the 1930s, his goal was crystal clear. He wanted to shame the ruling class, denounce their capitalistic greed that led to the Great Depression ...

Editor’s Note: This article previously appeared in a different format as part of The Atlantic’s Notes section, retired in 2021. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord: He is trampling ...

I SHOULD like to say why I think The Grapes of Wrath is a landmark in American literature. I think it is quite as important in our time as Sinclair Lewis’s Main Street was in the early ‘20s. I think ...