The Grapes of Wrath was not without its critics, however. The tough language and graphic scenes were too realistic to some readers, and others felt that Steinbeck showed too much sympathy for communist views. The California agricultural community, particularly the California growers and large landowners, were unhappy with Steinbeck's criticism of a system that bankrupted many of the small farmers who lost their land and became unhappy paid help for large growers.
Thrown increasingly into the public spotlight, Steinbeck experienced difficulties in his marriage. In an attempt to patch things up, he and Carol set off on a marine biology expedition with Ed Ricketts during the public controversy over The Grapes of Wrath. They traveled through the Gulf of California, later documented in The Sea of Cortez. But his marriage ended in divorce in 1943.
