John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath hardly needs any introduction. It has been met with fervent admiration and fierce criticism ever since it was first published in 1939. It can be just as harrowing as it is heart-warming. Something it cannot do is leave the reader indifferent. As part of our attempt to ‘map’ the question of evil and suffering with the help of literature, this novel powerfully exposes us to the ways people survive ‘natural evils’ (the Dust Bowl – also exacerbated by human careless exploitation of the soil) and the social evils of extreme forms of capitalist and corporate behaviors. As one of the characters, the former preacher Jim Casy, colorfully states: “Here’s me that used to give all my fight against the devil ’cause I figured the devil was the enemy. But they’s somepin worse’n the devil got hold a the country”. In the end, though, for Steinbeck the decisive confrontation between good and evil takes place in everyone’s heart – as he himself declared: “We have only one story. All novels, all poetry, are built on the never-ending contest in ourselves of good and evil”. It is not necessary for participants to have read the novels under consideration – a summary and quotations of main passages will be part of the talks.
Sunday Theology Talk for September 29, 2024
"Surviving Natural and Social Evil" - John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath
