THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1939) is John Steinbeck's literary masterpiece. Throughout the novel, as the Joad family travels from Oklahoma to California seeking work and meeting with continued hardship, Rose of Sharon's pregnancy serves as a symbol of hope for the future. The baby is delivered stillborn, but in the final pages of the novel, Rose of Sharon is given the opportunity to revive her hope yet again through a surprising and courageous (if unsettling) act of kindness toward a stranger in need.