In The Grapes of Wrath, Tom Joad is released from an Oklahoma state prison after serving four years after being convicted of manslaughter, Tom is trying to make his way back to his family’s farm in Oklahoma. He meets Jim Casy, a former preacher who actually baptized Tom when he was younger. Jim gave up his calling to be a pastor because of a belief that all life is holy, even the parts that are usually thought to be sinful. Jim goes with Tom back to his home. They find it, and all the surrounding farms, deserted. He sees his old neighbor, Muley Graves, wanders by and tells the men that everyone has been “tractored” off the land. Muley tells them that most of the families, including his own, have left for California to look for jobs. The next …show more content…
morning, Tom and Jim go out for Tom’s Uncle John’s, where Muley tells them they will find the Joad family. After they get to Uncle John’s, Tom finds Ma and Pa Joad packing up their few possessions. After they saw advertisements of fruit-picking jobs in California, they decide to take the trip to California as their one and only hope of bettering their lives, but end up getting caught in a sand storm. The Grapes of Wrath takes place during the Dust Bowl era of the 1930s, opening on an Oklahoma landscape where the sun is severe and the crops are scarce.
Tom Joad heads to his family’s farm after being released from prison. He learns that his family has been evicted from the property, which explains why the house has fallen into disrepair, with the building off its foundation, the fences gone, the outhouse tipped, and cotton growing haphazardly.Tom finds the family at Uncle John’s cramped home as they prepare for a long journey to California in search of work, a journey many others are also taking. The attachment to the Oklahoma land is so strong for Grampa Joad that he cannot bear to leave it, dying shortly after being removed from his longtime …show more content…
environment. The author of The Grapes of Wrath is John Steinbeck.
Steinbeck was born in 1902, in Salinas, California. He came from a middle class family. Steinbeck worked his way through college at Stanford University but never actually graduated. He wrote this book in 1939. The title of the book is from The Battle Hymn of the Republic by Julia Howe as seen in these verses, “Mine eyes have seen the coming of the glory of the Lord, He is trampling on the vintage where The Grapes of Wrath are stored.” The song can be interpreted as a plea to God to bring justice to the world. I think that is what John Steinbeck was trying to do, show the world there needs more justice and some people aren't treated as fair as others. He was trying to sway the American people's opinions. The book says a lot about the American Dream. The time period is right in the middle of the Great Depression. We see the American Dream come out as we follow the Joad family as they search for work in the midst of the Great Depression. All they want is a happy life. They travel from Oklahoma to California just to find a job picking fruit to support their
family. The Grapes of Wrath really opens your eyes to how bad the families of this time period were in desperate need of work, there wasn't unemployment, no one had money, They would travel as far as they needed just to be promised a job to buy a home and to make a better life for themselves. One part of the book that will always stick with me is when Tom went back to his home after getting released from prison, and he found it deserted. That just makes me feel bad for him, because he expected to find his family and make a life of himself, but instead when he got there it was completely empty. The second part is at the very end, it’s definitely etched in my mind. It’s the image of Rose of Sharon nursing the half-starved man with her breast milk in the barn, it's a little uncomfortable, but at the same time she really wanted to save his life and knew this would be the only way. Even though the Joads all know it’s going to be hard, they are all so excited for Rose of Sharon's baby. Babies represent new life, a fresh start, and they usually bring family together. And the fact that Rose of Sharon's baby does not survive shows just how bad their situation is, and just how unendurable conditions are in California. When she sees the starving man she doesn't just wallow in her self pity after losing her baby. She instead takes initiative, and goes ahead and uses something that was for her baby to help the man, knowing it will be no use for the baby anymore. I know that had to of been hard for both the starving man and Rose of Sharron, probably embarrassing and shameful. I can't help but think about second chances, and the kindness that people have where they put someone else's needs in front of their own, it's a good life lesson. Even though this isn't a true story, it's still historically accurate. People were starving and the times were very hard. And people were definitely struggling. It lets the generations after the great depression think and appreciate how hard their ancestors had it. It makes us thankful for how strong they were and how they never let things concur them, they believed they could make a better life for themselves, and didn't just sit back and depend on others to make the situation easier. The Grapes of Wrath makes us show gratitude for everything our ancestors had to go through to make our lives easier.
When times get tough, many people turn away from everyone and everything. It must be part of human nature to adopt an independent attitude when faced with troubles. It is understandable because most people do not want to trouble their loved ones when they are going through problems, so it is easier to turn away than stick together. Maybe their family is going through a rough patch and they reason they would be better off on their own. This path of independence and solitude may not always be the best option for them or their family, though. Often times it is more beneficial for everyone to work through the problem together. It is not always the easiest or most desirable option, but most times it is the most efficient and it will get results in the long run. In The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck makes this point very clear through several characters. Many characters throughout
Along with Jim Casy and Uncle John, Tom Joad secures redemption by leaving to protect his family, promising to continue Casy’s legacy, and developing into a stronger character who aspires to restore justice to the migrants, despite his previous nonchalant attitude toward his crime. Initially, Tom Joad has no inclination for absolution, remarking, “I’d do what I done again...I killed a guy in a fight, knocked his head to plumb to squash” (Steinbeck 35). His words indicate his feelings about his crime, and reveal his apathetic and uncaring persona. However, Tom’s attitude shifts when he kills another man shortly after Casy’s death, and “did not sleep. The nerves of his wounded face came back to life...to shake him” (Steinbeck 528). This foreshadows
Throughout the novel, The Grapes of Wrath there are intercalary chapters. The purpose of these chapters are to give the readers insight and background on the setting, time, place and even history of the novel. They help blend the themes, symbols, motifs of the novel, such as the saving power of family and fellowship, man’s inhumanity to man, and even the multiplying effects of selfishness. These chapters show the social and economic crisis flooding the nation at the time, and the plight of the American farmer becoming difficult. The contrast between these chapters helps readers look at not just the storyline of the Joad family, but farmers during the time and also the condition of America during the Dust Bowl. Steinbeck uses these chapters to show that the story is not only limited to the Joad family,
Tom is good natured and deals with what life throws at him, during the long trip towards work the family has realized the can count on Tom to help protect them. His past isn't going to define his future or change the way he feels about his family. As they arrive to California they get the devastating news that work is sparse and many people are dying of starvation, including Grampa who dies of a stroke. When the major change of losing a family member Tom realizes that life can be gone faster than you think and you see him changing into a more considerate person and a more sentimental person towards others. After they have buried Grampa, Tom comes across a “one eyed mechanic” who he helps fix his touring car. An act that he would probably never do in his past. Steinbeck shows Toms development into a more considerate person as the book
As they are on the road heading towards California, they notice that grandpa’s health is declining terribly. As they are on the long road to California from their Oklahoma farm, they keep close eyes on Grandpa’s health, when they get to a place where they can rest and take a break, tom breaks his probation terms and becomes illegal to be with them, and then Grampa Joad passes away in the middle of the night (“Grapes”). As they lose one family member, they realize the reason he had died was the medication they gave him, so that they could began on their journey to California to live a better life.
Otherwise, he does not believe that they will be of any value beyond. artistic impression. Therefore, most of his novels take place in California, the site of his birth and young life. In preparation for Writing his novels, Steinbeck would often travel with people about whom he was going to write. The Grapes of Wrath was no exception to his other works. To prepare for it, he joined migrants in Oklahoma and rode with them to California. When he got to California, he lived with them, joining them in their quest for work. By publishing these experiences and trials. of the migrants he achieved an effect that won him the Nobel Prize for literature in 1962. The writing of The Grapes of Wrath coincided with the Great Depression. This time of hardship and struggle for the rest of America gave Steinbeck inspiration for his work. Other peoples' stories of everyday life became issues for Steinbeck. His writings spoke out against those who kept the oppressed in poverty and therefore was branded as a Communist. because of his "voice" Although, it did become a bestseller and receive countless awards, his book was banned in many schools and libraries.
In John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, Tom Joad is the protagonist. After serving four years in jail for murder, he is finally out on parole. When Tom is first introduced, he is portrayed as a negative character. Tom is stubborn and likes things to go his way. In the beginning of the novel Tom lives his life day by day, the future does concern him. Throughout the novel Tom develops from a man only interested in his own independent personal needs and desires to someone who is devoted to his family, and is willing to sacrifice his own personal comfort for their benefit. By the end of the novel Tom Joad transformed from a negative character into a positive character who cares about the future of his nation and the families that are struggling to live in it.
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 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.
Tom Joad was released from the Oklahoma state penitentiary where he had served a sentence for killing a man in self-defense. He traveled homeward through a region made barren by drought and dust storms. On the way he met Jim Casy an expreacher; the pair went together to the home of Tom's people. They found the Joad place deserted. While Tom and Casy were wondering what had happened, Muley Graves, a diehard tenant farmer, came by and disclosed that all of the families in the neighborhood had gone to California or were going. Tom's folks, Muley said, had gone to a relative's place preparatory to going west. Muley was the only sharecropper to stay behind.
Plot Summary: A man, Tom Joad, is released from prison and returns home to find his family’s farm and all other nearby farms deserted. After finding his family he finds out they are planning to travel west to try to earn money picking fruit in California. It is a long and challenging road to travel in a weak, old pickup truck, for both Grampa Joad and a woman by the name of Sairy Wilson cannot complete the journey. California is not all the glamour they had expected because California has an enormous shortage of jobs. To make matters worse, Granma Joad dies. The family moves around looking for work, and unfortunately two of the older boys abandon the family out of frustra...
John Steinbeck was born on February 27, 1902 in Salinas, California. Between 1919 and 1925 Steinbeck was acknowledged as a special student at Stanford University. According to Peter Lisac, “Variously employed as a had-carrier, fruit-picker, apprentice printer, laboratory assistant, caretaker, surveyor, reporter, writer, and foreign correspondent let him acquire knowledge in many areas.” (1) Even in his youth, Steinbeck developed a love of the natural world and diverse cultures. Steinbeck produced two children from his second wife, Elaine Scott. The early 1930’s became a struggle for Steinbeck, both in his
Tom Joad, a recently released inmate from the Oklahoma State Penitentiary, arrives home to find Pa Joad, Tom's father, packing a truck full of personal items. Tom is filled in by his family that a large corporation bought out their farm, and they were going to move in search for work. Namely to the “promised land”, also known as California. After tying everything down and drugging Grandpa Joad with medicene, the family takes off for California.
John Ernest Steinbeck Jr. was born February 27, 1902 in Salinas, California. (The Biography Channel) His family was never wealthy, but they were middle-class, and his father John Ernest Steinbeck had several jobs to keep food on the table, and his mother Olive Hamilton was a school teacher. He was the third child of four children, and all of his siblings were girls. His father owned a feed-and-grain store, managed a flour shop, and was Monterrey County treasurer. (The Biography Channel) His father was a mason and his mother was a member of Eastern Star. (ANB) John Steinbeck sr. and Olive Hamilton were immigrants and were very rooted into the community; they established their identities this way. His parents believed it was good to expose their children to culture when they were little. They went to the theater often in San Francisco. His parents also had a variety of literature in the house for the children to read. Steinbeck’s biggest influence in his career was when he had been given a copy of Malory’s Morte d’Arthur at the age of nine. (Stephan) His mother and John Steinbeck's family lived in the "fertile agricultural valley,” and with that he formed an appreciation early for the Salinas Valley land, which he used in most of his later novels. (Wyatt) As a kid Steinbeck was shy and quite, but very smart. At the age of fifteen Steinbeck was "encouraged by his freshman English teacher to write," (ANB) and from then he knew he wanted to become a writer. He would often lock himself away in his bedroom and write. After high school he worked as a laborer in a sugar factory in Salinas, California, a laborer in mills, and a ranch hand. (Stephan)
Tom Joad is a criminal in his hometown. So why is it that we still support him and hope for the best? After killing a man and spending his time in prison, the readers of John Steinbeck's novel, The Grapes of Wrath, are supposed to love him. He comes out of prison and finds his family who have moved and are planning to head west