Understanding today's Joads

Like all great books The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck absorbs and entertains but also alters your perspective on life. Its principal theme is intolerance; its uncomfortable lesson is that prejudice lies beneath the surface of us all; its optimistic conclusion is the courage of the human spirit and the kernel of good that remains when all else is stripped away. The poetic style and vernacular dialogue take time at first, but once it hooks you it won't let go.

It is the story of the Joad family. They are Oklahoma farmers whose lives are ruined by …