The Banning Of John Steinbeck's The Grapes Of Wrath

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Bartels 1 The First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States allows everyone to have the freedom of expression. However, many classic pieces of literature have been banned during their time of existence. John Steinbeck’s novel, The Grapes of Wrath is one example. The Grapes of Wrath was not only burned, but it was banned in many American states and in Ireland. Characters such as Mae, Casy, Connie, Rose of Sharon, Ruthie, Pa, Al, Tom, and Joe Davis’ boy are unique and flawed, so some readers of The Grapes of Wrath are going to express their anger they received from reading unconventional material. Books are banned when they contain references that cause people to become uncomfortable. Sexual references are unacceptable. Steinbeck…show more content…
“When Steinbeck was preparing to write the novel, he famously wrote, ‘I want to put a tag of shame on the greedy bastards who are responsible for this [the Great Depression and its effects]. I’ve done my damnedest to rip a reader’s nerves to rags”’ (Baldassarro). Even though, Steinbeck witnessed the conditions the migrant people were in; people believed he exaggerated the difficulties of the poor because of his quote. Therefore, readers believed his entire book was a lie, and they were disgusted that Steinbeck would slander the rich just to make a point. Steinbeck integrates the language of the people during the Dust Bowl into his characters. Although it is shocking when Ruthie, one of the youngest characters readers encounter, curses in front of her parents. It is also suprsing when Pa calls Ruthie, his own kid, “‘the little bitch”’ solely because she makes the mistake by revealing Tom’s secret (Steinbeck 413). Similar to nowadays, profanity was common. Steinbeck was trying to accurately portray the people during the time of the Dust Bowl by using their vernacular language. Therefore, he is not untasteful for using the words he chose for The Grapes of Wrath, so people should not be distressed by the…show more content…
The amount of selfishness causes the poor to not be able to afford food, and they have to watch food rot as they starve. However, all of the hardships every human and animal experiences symbolize the difficulties of survival on the road to California. Even when families think they have made it, and think their journey is over, there is still the struggle of survival. Readers may not enjoy the pessimistic realities of life Steinbeck incorporates into his novel, so it is a painful read that causes the readers to become upset and
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    Grapes of Wrath has been on the top charts of the best books of all time, and it’s also been banned and burned all around the world. In 1939 Steinbeck wanted to portray the struggles of the middle class who were migrating towards California, little did he know the controversies that would arise due to this riveting novel. Grapes of Wrath was banned for it’s “indecent” content including it’s vulgar language and sexual themes. However, it was actually banned because the wealthy farmers were angered

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