For those who read the Grapes of Wrath what you think about the fact the book doesnt conclude?

Question

it actually ends with the flood story but it never says whether or not the family gets land in california does this have any importance

Answer 1

Off the page endings like that really start to take off for the postmodern era of literature, which includes circular narratives that begin in the middle and end at the beginning. Endless Sunshine of the Spotless Mind really epitomizes this, although that movement is really after Steinbeck--we can still understand the story better in that vein.

The open ending like that leaves room for the hopeful ready who really sees a positive outcome, but because the story is based so much on historical fact (Steinbeck even lived for several season among the 'pickers') the true conclusion probably leans more heavily on the family returning to Oklahoma with little more than they left with.