The Grapes of Wrath by Shmoop

The Grapes of Wrath a la Shmoop
As opposed to what -- The Blueberries of Sloth? Picture this . . .
. .

. You've just written a novel . . .

. . . But not just any novel; a great novel.
Like...

A "100 books you need to read before you die" bucket list great novel.
Trouble is, you have no idea what to call it.
You toss around a few possibilities: Okie Migrants? The Road to California? Dust Bowl Farmers?
But nothing thrills you. So, how did you -- er, Steinbeck - come up
with The Grapes of Wrath as a title? Where did it come from and what the heck does
it mean? Some writers say they get their inspiration
from dreams . . .

. . . Movies .

. . ... Muses...
.

. . Or songs. Grapes of Wrath is part of a lyric from the
Battle Hymn of the Republic .

. . . .

. Which may have inspired Steinbeck's
wife when she suggested it. True story. Even though the hymn was written about the
Civil War .

. . ...Its message of God taking vengeance on
greedy oppressors . .

. . . Seems every bit as much about America
in the 1930s .

. . . .

. As America in the 1860s. And likely the 2060s.
But Battle Hymn's author got her inspiration from another source . .

.
. . . The Book of Revelations .

. . . .

. And it used the words as an appeal for
divine deliverance for the oppressed when humanity is judged.
Steinbeck himself used the phrase near the end of the book when he wrote . . .
.

. . "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy". <<DS
Scholar voice>> So...

The wrath is building up inside of people
and, sooner or later, the oppressed are going to explode. Probably not literally, unless they've seriously
eaten too many grapes. Steinbeck said he wanted to put a tag of shame
on the greedy people responsible for The Great Depression . .

.
. . . And the title could be a symbol of what he thought would happen when the oppressed
had had enough.

So is Steinbeck suggesting the Noah approach... That is ...We wait for God to take care of
the bad guys? Or is he encouraging the Nike approach... ... Where the little guys have to take matters
into their own hands? Shmoop amongst yourselves..