The book,“The Grapes of wrath”, Written by John Steinbeck, showcases how the great depression changed Americans in the Midwest and the west coast through the Joad family. Steinbeck described over and over again with the word, "dust", that dust that filled the clouds, tops of fields, and lungs. The lasting drought brought the coming of the dust storms, and failing farms and families. The Joads, like many migrant families during the 1930’s, relied on their automobile, the kindness of other and the strength of their families to survive. Approaching the start of the Joad’s migration to a survive in California, Tom Joad’s Brother, Al, bought a Hudson Super Six that would become a meeting place, a home, and a transit. With interchangeable parts and Al, keep the truck able to be driven, even after being tampered with by car dealers, and held less or equal to thirteen members of the Joad family, and holding what is left of their belongs after being sold.This was their Only way to California and helped to its extent, even with being repaired by the men in the Joad …show more content…
The Wilsons, met at the peak of an extensive expedition, dealt with poverty and lost everything, but hold onto family like the Joads. The Wilsons gave to the Joads when in time of need like before Grampa’s sudden death of a stroke. They offered a for him to help get better, and after his death helped in his burial. Those who gave the what was left of the Joads a place to stay in the government camp: Tom, Ma, Al, Rose of Sharon, Uncle John, Ruthie, Winfiel, and kids; and of how many times Tom was fed by others. Those around them offered to them support and offered their advice on California from being two of the same kind. Those who dealt with having lives ruined by the misfortune of the banks, drought and poverty. Ma who was the core of the Joads, brought strength and a will to get through the misfortune of
In the 1930s, America’s Great Plains experienced a disastrous drought causing thousands of people to migrate west. As their land was devastated by the Dust Bowl, deprived farmers were left with few options but to leave. The Grapes of Wrath depicts the journey of the Joads, an Oklahoma based family which decides to move to California in search of better conditions. Coming together as thirteen people at the start, the Joads will undertake what represents both a challenge and their only hope. Among them are only four women embodying every ages: the Grandma, the Mother and her two daughters, the pregnant Rose of Sharon and the young Ruthie. Appearing in Chapter Eight the mother, who is referred to as “Ma”, holds a decisive role in Steinbeck’s novel. She is, along with her son Tom (the main character of the book), present from the early stage of the story until its very end. We will attempt to trace back her emotional journey (I) as well as to analyze its universal aspects and to deliver an overall impression on the book (II).
The Joad’s were facing many conflicts and in the process of losing their house. They heard there was going to be work in California and wanted to take the risk and move out there to find a job to provide. The Dust Bowl and The Great Depression were pretty huge topics in history and the novel about The Grapes of Wrath had some pretty raw details about their journey and similar to both histories. The Joad family pushed each other to have a better life in California and did everything they could to have a job to provide and eat, and mainly survive to live another day. In the novel, the beginning, the Joad family faced and struggled with nature, dust nature, just like the people that experienced this during the Dust Bowl. The people in the Southern plains dealt with a huge dust storm and the Joad family were also faced with this storm but struggled from these dust storms because of no work. No work means you can’t eat and
As soon as the Joads leave their farm, it is evident who is the leader of the family. Once Pa is taken off his land his leadership is gone, he becomes lost without having to deal with the strict regimen of farming. With out waiting around for Pa to get over his loss Ma steps up to lead the family and make crucial decisions. Ma foresees the way the family will deteriorate without proper leadership and thus she takes what little strength they all have left and pushes the family west together. This shift in power is obvious from the beginning; when the family is leaving Tom asks if Casey could come along with them and is it Ma who steps in to respond, "It aint kin we?
In the novel, Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, the Joad family was kicked off their farmland in Oklahoma by wealthy farmers and are forced to travel to California so they can find work and not starve to death. Along their travels to California, they encounter many different situations and the Joad’s ability to change their family roles so that the family can get through their travels easier. As well as the Joad’s ability to lean on their family members gets them through these harsh times. And their ability to also expand and contract their “family” based on kinship helps ease their travel west. The Joad family is able to complete their journey to California because
In the novel The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck the author uses excessive profanity, religion, and migrants to show the hard times family’s had to go through in the 1930’s. Most people believe that Steinbeck novel is too inappropriate for high school students because of its content. This novel should be banned from the high school curriculum.
The Grapes of Wrath is a novel written by John Steinbeck, which focuses on an Oklahoman family that is evicted from their farm during an era of depression caused by the Dust Bowl. The Joad family alongside thousands of other refugees (also affected by the dirty thirties) migrates west towards California seeking employment and a new home. John Steinbeck’s purpose for writing this novel was to inform his audience of how many of their fellow Americans were being mistreated and of the tribulations they faced in order to attain regain what they once had. As a result, The Grapes of Wrath triggered its audience’s sympathy for the plight of the Dust Bowl farmers and their families.
John Steinbeck’s novel, The Grapes of Wrath is one of the most influential books in American History, and is considered to be his best work by many. It tells the story of one family’s hardship during the Depression and the Dust Bowl of the 1930’s. The Joads were a hard-working family with a strong sense of togetherness and morals; they farmed their land and went about their business without bothering anyone. When the big drought came it forced them to sell the land they had lived on since before anyone can remember. Their oldest son, Tom, has been in jail the past four years and returns to find his childhood home abandoned. He learns his family has moved in with his uncle John and decides to travel a short distance to see them. He arrives only to learn they are packing up their belongings and moving to California, someplace where there is a promise of work and food. This sets the Joad family off on a long and arduous journey with one goal: to survive.
The ending of The Grapes of Wrath maintains its historical accuracy by enforcing the idea of the women being the force that holds the family together. From even the beginning of this text we can see that Ma Joad is an incredibly strong ch...
Because of the devastating disaster of the dust bowl, the Joad family was forced to leave their long-time home and find work and a new life elsewhere. They, like many other families, moved to California. "The land of milk and honey". The people in the dust bowl imagined California as a haven of jobs where they would have a nice little white house and as much fruit as they could eat. This dream was far from the reality the migrant farmers faced once in California. The dreams, hopes, and expectations the Joads had of California were crushed by the reality of the actual situation in this land of hate and prejudice.
In fact, one principal character who was involved in a difficult situation was Ma Joad. She was a wife and mother whose only occupation in life was a housewife. She lived in an unfair time period; women were forced to do almost everything that the man commanded. However, Ma Joad was different. Ever since the family traveled to California, she slowly began to take charge. This was first seen when Tom, Ma’s son, suggested that the family continue driving while he and Casy, the preacher, stayed behind to fix the Wilson’s (a family the Joads met on their way to California) automobile. Ma Joad was furious with this idea. She brought out a jack handle and said, “ ‘You done this ‘thout thinkin’ much. What we got lef ‘in the world’? Nothin’ but us. Nothin’ but the folks…An’ now, right off, you wanna bust up the folks’ “ (Steinbeck 218). Ma J...
While traveling in California, the Joads family meet many types of people. Some of the residents were quite rude and called them offensive names, such as, Okies, when they stopped to take a break at a camping ground. There were others that were kind, but felt they could only secretly help them because they feared the anger of the mean residents or that they may not have a farm the next year. The Joads met many people on their trip, some helping them more than others.
The Joad family members are the type of people that would do anything to help out someone in need of help, they are tough people, they do not rely on much just there family, they notice that they were farm people not the people they are turning into (Steinbeck 317).
The exploitation of "Okies" continued but was haltered by unions and organizations such as those Tom Joad planned to lead. Being faced with several accounts of adversity coming not only from the national and eventually global economic depression, the farmers of America had only one chance to subsist, and that was to maintain a sense of endurance. This sense was evident in several actions of the Joad family during their trek to California and the actions taken by general farmers of America as their "grapes of wrath (began) ...growing heavy for the vintage."
The Joad family members were facing hardships from the beginning. Before the journey, Tom Joad had been in prison and that was a downer to everyone. In the scenes of overcoming this problem, Tom was released and his family was so excited and full of joy to see him. Before they could celebrate too much, they found themselves having to leave the land that most of them were born on, raised on and labored for. They decided that as shady as it was to be forced off their own land, the drought had shattered any hopes of prospering from it anyway. With the hope of a better life out in California and a flyer that said pickers needed, they set out for the proclaimed promised land.
There are orchards and fields everywhere, and the soil is rich and moist. However, life is dangerous and it is harrowing in the beautiful state. Many migrant families continue to move from place to place, setting up campgrounds called Hoovervilles (named after President Herbert Hoover) on the outskirts of towns.” (“The Grapes of Wrath Setting”). When the joads arrived in California after an extensive and strenuous journey, they were placed in government assigned camps. The Hoovervilles were bleak. The Joads saw tattered tents, sad people, and children who didn’t look as if they had eaten in days. “California is depicted as fiercely beautiful, but incredibly dangerous. Against the backdrop of growth and cultivation, families starve.” (“The Grapes of Wrath