Hey fellas, I'm reading the grapes of wrath for the first time and in chapter 6 I read this sentence from Mully:

He paused uneasily. “You fellas think I’m touched?”

What does it mean to be touched. I thought it means the same thing as being moved or being emotional, but it doesn't seem to match the context.

On page 198 of the Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck shows how all the migrants moving west were always talking about "What this country's coming to."

However, some of them start thinking that "Maybe we[they] sinned some way we[they] didn't know about." What does that even mean? Why are they questioning whether losing their land was their fault? Do they think that god is punishing them?

Hey all, super stoked to realize there's a Steinbeck sub here!

I know I've read a quote from Steinbeck similar to, "I rarely bait my hook as tge fish get in the way of the fishing" but I'm having a devil of a time finding it. Anyone know if my life of living lile everyday is Sweet Thursday has pickled my brain to misremembering?

I have a question about a sentence on page 182:

"A cat whipped out from the side of the road and Al swerved to hit it, but the wheels missed and the cat leaped into the grass."

I know that this is a reference to the turtle from chapter 3, but what does it mean? Why is Al swerving to hit the cat important in any way? I know that Steinbeck went through the effort of referencing the turtle to this, but why did he do it?

"Our species is the only creative species, and it has only one creative instrument, the individual mind and spirit of a man. Nothing was ever created by two men. There are no good collaborations, whether in music, in art, in poetry, in mathematics, in philosophy. Once the miracle of creation has taken place, the group can build and extend it, but the group never invents anything. The preciousness lies in the lonely mind of a man."

I'm not great at seeing nuance and often take things too literally, but I'm a huge music fan and this made me think "What about Lennon and McCartney or other songwriting partnerships?"

Is it because Steinbeck was writing at a time before musical 'groups' in their modern sense, where songs often seem to be a collaborative effort (as opposed to say ensembles, orchestras, etc from Steinbeck's time and before)?

Now I've written that, I guess I've realised even with Lennon and McCartney, one of them usually had the idea first, then they both developed it.

Just wondering if I'm overthinking this, or if anyone has other perspectives? Thanks!

In light of recent events, I'm reminded of a quote from the Steinbeck biography "Mad at the World" by William Souder:

"What’s clear is that his mind was aflame from an early age, and that certain impulses fell into place and took hold of young John Steinbeck, a boy who would not conform, who could not tolerate a bully, and who believed that somewhere within the solitude he craved there was a world that could be rendered sensible and fair."

It deepens my appreciation for who he was and the legacy of his literature.

Hi fellow steinbeck nerds! I've just arrived in Monterey and will be spending tomorrow driving around the region trying to soak up as much as possible of 'steinbeck country'. I have a few spots that I'm going to head to (cannery row, salinas, carmel valley etc.) and I'm going to try locate 'rebel corners' from the wayward bus. Anyone else know some spots I shouldn't miss in the region? Will have lunch at Steinbeck house tomorrow

Howdy fellow Steinbeck appreciators. I’m curious about which publishers you might look to when you want to treat yourself to a nice fancy modern edition of his work. I have a few from Franklin Library and Easton Press, but lately I’ve been collecting his releases from The Folio Society. I’ve got Travels with Charley, Of Mice and Men, and The Grapes of Wrath so far, and someday I hope to find a copy of East of Eden.

These books can be rather pricey, but they are a lovely luxury when I can afford to splurge on them. I just posted a video tour of The Grapes of Wrath on YT tonight. Please feel free to check it out if you’re at all interested:

The Grapes of Wrath – Folio Review: https://youtu.be/nwXs8KrBbBI?si=mXK0T7xVL0KhG9Es

If there are other so-called “fine publishers” that you know of who’ve released interesting Steinbeck editions, do let me know. Personally, I’d love to own a nice illustrated copy of Cannery Row or The Winter of our Discontent!

I have come across Mad At The World, but I'm having trouble finding any information on other biographies. Looking for opinions / experiences with any biographies about him. Thanks!

It’s my favorite book. Has been since I first read it at 24.

I reread it every 4-5 years.

This will be my 4th. I’m on page 27.

I am making a notebook of quotes, for the first time.

The only quote I have printed is “now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.”

A short flame gave that to me as a gift.

I plan on printing many more and framing them around my house, in a quiet way.

I'm a high school teacher and Steinbeck nerd. I teach a few of his books/stories in my classes, and am just wondering if anyone here subscribes to journals or magazines that focus on Steinbeck's works or publish other writers' work on or about Steinbeck. I subscribe to the Steinbeck Review (Penn State Press), which is mostly literary analysis. And I know SJSU used to put out a Steinbeck Newsletter back in the day, but has since stopped. Even any local Monterey publications that do creative/literary stuff would be great to know about. Just want to make sure I'm not missing out on any new writing people may be doing about Steinbeck and his work. Thanks!

Later on, Steinbeck began to question his hawkishness. After coming back, he visited with Johnson in the White House and offered suggestions for “winning the war” and ending the things he felt the United States was doing wrong in Vietnam—but he wasn’t convinced that either was possible. In August of 1967, he told Elizabeth Otis Vietnam was a lost cause. He said America could not win the war. Nobody, he added, could ever win a war. Steinbeck thought the old principles no longer applied, that the United States would ultimately be defeated by an ideology it could not kill. Steinbeck had come to the conclusion that even if America prevailed on the ground, defeating the supposed enemy in the usual sense, we would be just an occupying army in an alien environment. Even that, he said, was out of reach. By any measure, old or new, America was losing to a force better suited to the circumstances and driven by a conviction stronger than ours.

Souder, Mad at the World.

I just finished reading East of Eden for the second time. It reignited my love of Steinbeck. I picked up a 75th anniversary edition of the Viking Press hardcover Grapes of Wrath last night.

I just started this morning on it. Also second time for this book. It may be my mood- but his writing is very biblical in the opening chapter (and I’m sure beyond) and moving me more than I remember from the first time.

‘The weeds frayed and edged back towards their roots. The air was thin and the sky more pale; and every day the earth paled…

… behind them the sky was pale again and the sun flared. In the dust there were drop craters where the rain had fallen, and there were clean splashes on the corn, and that was all.’

In "Travels with Charley" Steinbeck uses the term "looking-egg". I've googled it but can't find what a "looking-egg" is. Can anyone enlighten me? Is it like a View Master?

My 1 year old daughter picked up my copy of EoE today and started flicking through.

I asked her what she thought the book was about. She said "Reindeer". I'm not sure I ever got that impression on my first read through but interested to hear if anyone else has ever looked into the hidden meanings of this book and uncovered a secret meaning of being about reindeer.

Perhaps I was too literal in my interpretations and failed to truly grasp what the book was actually about and the subtext

I've recently finished this chapter. Steinbeck woke up and chose violence when he wrote this one. There are so many dreadful events:

• Noah leaves the family in the loneliest way. His admission that he knows that people are nice to him but don't care for him is so sad. Nobody seems to be too shaken up about him leaving.
• The Joads and Wilsons separate. Sairy is dying and you just feel for them, broke and alone away from home.
• Grandma dies. Ma keeping the death a secret, and spending the night with the corpse so they could get to California is metal.
• They get to green and lush California. It should be a happy occasion, and the scene of the Kids seeing it for the first time makes you smile but there's still so much dread mixed in.

Their story so far has covered about half the pages of the book. That fact and the warnings that the people heading back from California have been giving make me nervous about reading the rest haha.

I've been trying to find a passage I recall from Of Mice and Men with no success and was hoping someone would be able to help me with this.

What I remember is a character (possibly George) talking about loneliness, specifically describing the comfort of having someone else present at nighttime when one hears strange noises to verify one's own subjective experience of hearing the noise and helping to identify what it might be... or something along these lines (I may be getting some details of this incorrect)!

Title.