The Grapes of Wrath

The Grapes of Wrath (1940), John Ford's adaptation of John Steinbeck's novel, tracks the journey of the Joad family from Oklahoma, forced into migration by the Great Depression. Like Giant, The Grapes of Wrath was a critical success, earning 7 Oscar nominations, including wins for Best Director and Best Supporting Actress (Jane Darwell as Ma Joad). After arriving in California, the Joads first spend time in a transient camp filled with hordes of other dirty and emaciated migrant workers. Ma Joad is so taken aback by the sight of the starving children that she shares her family's food with them; the scene in which those children run with delirious eagerness to retrieve tin cans from a trash heap is eerily reminiscent of real life footage of contemporary refugees equally desperate for sustenance and shelter. The Joads finally find work at the Keene Ranch, an otherworldly creation that is simultaneously a reflection of our troubled past and a cautionary warning about the potential for a dystopian future. The Joads are repeatedly questioned by the ranch's private security detail. Once inside the confines of the ranch, they are not allowed to leave; any money that they earn for their labors on the ranch can only be spent at the ridiculously overpriced ranch store. When Tom Joad (Henry Fonda) goes out for an evening walk, he is quickly stopped and questioned by one of the guards who lurks in the shadows. Tom is not deterred, though, in his quest to find out about the so-called "agitators" that reside outside the barbed-wire boundary of the Keene Ranch. Several months ago, two consecutive evenings spent with two classic American films would have seemed like nothing more than an entertaining diversion. Watching these films this past week in these heightened times in which we find ourselves served as a further reminder of the latent vitriol, racism, and xenophobia that still festers in the underbelly of our nation and our world. Giant reminds us that, whether we like it or not, money most often is power - and the powerful have the right to refuse service to any of us who don't fit in at the club. That same money-power dialectic is also on display in The Grapes of Wrath, as the wealthy ranch owners exert force over the desperate migrant workers. Both films offer a timely and vivid reminder that those of us who long for progress and justice and equality for all will never be able to let down our guard. The ugly and the powerful will always be lurking in the shadows, ready to pounce.