The Grapes of Wrath Historical Review

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The Grapes of Wrath is a black and white film, it was released March 15th, 1940 right after the Great Depression, which is what the book it’s based on is based off of. If The Grapes of Wrath were to be reproduced today for the same amount of money it cost in 1940 plus inflation, it would cost $12,114,554.61. The Grapes of Wrath is about how a dirt-poor family in Oklahoma is forced off of their land, goes to California seeking jobs and finding out how cruel the world is outside of their home during the Great Depression. As the movie continues, the Joad family learns how Americans can be during a depression. Though the Joads lose two of their family members and a friend to death in the movie, book is a little different. For example, in the book, Tom dies at the end, and in the movie, it stops at chapter 20 in the book. John Steinbeck has received both positive and negative reviews, whether they were delivered during his time or during ours. It is known that Steinbeck was often misunderstood by critics and book reviewers, who would often include phrases like "experimental," "complete departure," and "unexpected" throughout reviews from the 1940s to 1960s (“John Steinbeck”). His reviewers seemed to completely dislike Steinbeck’s style of writing and to desire a transformation. As a result, “Steinbeck faltered, both professionally and personally, in the 1940s” (“John Steinbeck”). In 1989, this film was one of the first 25 films to be selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congresss as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." You would think that the Grapes of Wrath is accurate, since it was produced right after the event it was based on, wouldn’t you? Truth is, you’d be pretty much right. Because all of the types of camps that were featured in The Grapes of Wrath were real in America, and
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