Grapes of Sunshine

The great American road trip. So many novels, essays, films and photographs have made an effort to capture the essence of the journey. But what must be looked at separately are the journeys of those on the road out of necessity, who are trying to get to their destination as quickly and painlessly as they can, and the road trips taken for pleasure, so that the traveler may discover his nation's sights and peoples. I will focus on the latter, the type of road trip undertaken by the Joad family in John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath and also by the Hoover family in the 2006 American comedy-drama Little Miss Sunshine, directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris.

This comparison may be surprising, but as I read the first 16 chapters of Steinbeck's novel I was increasingly reminded of the film. Though The Grapes of Wrath can easily be considered tragic, and Little Miss Sunshine is often comedic, the journeys the two families take are marked by some similar events and unfold in a similar manner. Both families embark towards an opportunity - the Joads in the 1930's from Oklahoma to find work in verdant California, and the Hoover's in the early 2000's from New Mexico to give their daughter Olive the opportunity to compete in a pageant in Redondo Beach, California.

The members of the Hoover family can easily be compared to members of the Joad family. Ma, the figurehead of the Joad clan, responsible for the entire family, and essentially the decision maker, is not so different from Sheryl Hoover, a struggling mother trying to hold together her family, which includes her depressed brother, junkie father, mute son and unemployed husband. Sheryl remains a pillar of strength throughout the movie and plays an instrumental role in getting her daughter Olive to the pageant. The figure of the depressed uncle appears in both works (John in The Grapes of Wrath and Sheryl's brother Frank in Little Miss Sunshine) as well as the quiet/mute son (Noah in The Grapes of Wrath and Dwayne in Little Miss Sunshine).

Hudson Super Six Sedan/Truck BedArguably one of the most important characters in The Grapes of Wrath is the family's Hudson Super Six sedan. The family modifies the car with a truck bed, and twelve travelers set out in the car/truck from Oklahoma. As the Joad's make their way across the country the Hudson Super Six breaks down multiple times and seriously impedes their progress towards California. Similarly a key character in Little Miss Sunshine is the yellow Volkswagon T2 Microbus that is supposed to carry the family 800 miles, but also slows them down when it dies on them along the way.The Volkswagen T2 Microbus

And the vehicles in these two stories are sadly not the only characters that die, though they are the only ones that can be brought back to life. On their first day of travel the Joads lose Grampa, their "cantankerous, complaining, mischievous" (77) grandfather, to a stroke. Not having a enough money to pay for a funeral, the Joads burying him along the roadside, but they cannot halt their journey to grieve. Even a death cannot stop them from getting to California. And it didn't stop the Hoover's either. Along the way Sheryl's father Edwin dies of an apparent Heroin overdoes, however the family cannot wait for postmortem arrangements to be made, and have to take their grandfather's body with them, in order to make the pageant on time.

And finally both families reach California. Now I don't want to give away the end of Grapes of Wrath for those who have not read it before, but let it suffice to say that what awaits them in California is not what they had expected. This is also the case when the Hoover's arrive at the pageant in Redondo Beach and are almost denied entry for being four minutes late. As the family fights for Olive's chance to compete, they realize that her competition (thin, highly-styled, sexualized pre-teens, trained in pageant conventions) is nothing like Olive (chubby, pale, glasses, pageant amateur) and fear she will be humiliated.

I wouldn't want to ruin The Grapes of Wrath for anyone who hasn't finished it, nor would I want to give away the end of Little Miss Sunshine, but I will finish by noting that the endings of the two accounts of the great American road trip are the only parts of the stories that differ greatly. One ending with the message that we should embrace our individuality despite social pressures and the other ending on a far more tragic note...you can guess which is which.

I managed to hold off Googling The Grapes of Wrath vs Little Miss Sunshine until I had finished writing the previous paragraph, and it would appear I am not the only person who has made the comparison (it would surprise me if I was!). In fact, many have heralded Little Miss Sunshine as a post-modern adaptation of The Grapes of Wrath, and it cannot be denied the two share a common theme and common characters. However, one must ask oneself if the endings and final messages of both works are a reaction to or product of the times in which they were made? Is one ending less honest than the other? And could we handle an ending and a message like the one written by Steinbeck in today's climate or are we all just looking for a feel-good quick fix?