We once read a book called “Feed” in high school - a ham fisted anti-capitalist book. Wherein citizens are 100% connected to an internet like service that only exists to sell them products. 90% of the class couldnt get it. Even when the teacher sat down and explained the entire plot of the book they still couldnt wrap their head around it.
grapes of wrath explicitly says capitalism is evil how and why. what the fuck
When we read it in middle school our teachers gave us an open invitation to discuss the meaning. 99% of the students said it was an allegory for suffering while still being faithful to God, like some kind of virtuous suffering. The teachers didn’t really get into how Steinbeck was himself a socialist.
Also I’m guessing most of the students were giving a kind of “yeah, uh huh” answer.
Puritanism and its consequences…
If you want to suffer, get into teaching, follow the standardized teaching mandates, and get to the part where you leave it open to the students what they think the story is about.
There are no wrong answers, because having no united message benefits capitalism and the alienation is the point.