Bombs as Evidence of Passion

You probably find this graphic imagery of bombs being dropped and throats being cut as jarring. This powerful effect serves to invite empathy for the Joad family, as it indirectly compares the suffering in The Grapes of Wrath to the more objectively violent and gruesome struggles of war. Again, although superficially these two contexts look quite different, the lives of the migrant farmers are very much on the line, and their suffering is every bit as genuine.

In Chapter 14, Steinbeck is making the case that, just like in war, these difficult economic times are also an example of a half a step backwards that will be corrected in time, and it is evidence that at least humanity is trying to move forward.

Migrants vs. Townspeople

Throughout The Grapes of Wrath, tension builds between the migrant families and the townspeople, who are coping with this new population living among them. Although your empathy probably tends to be with the migrants, it is still easy to understand why the townspeople are worried--they are suddenly surrounded by thousands of hungry, desperate people who must find a way to feed their children.

Chapter 29 looks at what happens when the migrants finally hit the peak of desperation: the rains have come, and they are out of work, homeless, and starving. The men go to the towns frequently to look for food and doctors, but find little help. They finally start stealing food, because their families need to eat to survive.

One of the scenes in this chapter reads as though it takes place in a war zone: 'At night, frantic men walked boldly to hen roosts and carried off the squawking chickens. If they were shot at, they did not run, but splashed sullenly away; and if they were hit, they sank tiredly in the mud.'

Battle Scene

This vignette of desperate men getting shot and dying in the mud reads much more like a scene in a battle than something that would occur in an economic downturn. This is powerful imagery, because many people think of times like the Great Depression as entailing poverty and suffering but might not be able to envision where extreme poverty may lead. Scenes like this make it clear that poverty brings about human suffering that is not so different from what war leads to.

Lesson Summary

Steinbeck's war imagery drives home the point that the poverty and suffering that the migrant families experience in The Grapes of Wrath is in many ways as traumatic as what is experienced in times of war. The migrants are driven from their homes, as though by a tank, and sometimes die in circumstances that are comparable to a wartime death in a foreign land. These scenes bring to life the unpleasant realities of the Great Depression.

 

 

If you area reading ''The Grapes of Wrath'', you might feel confused by all the different characters. Specifically, the Joad family tree can seem complicated. In this lesson we will take a look at who is in the Joad family and what their relationships are to each other.

Big Families

If you come from a large family, or know someone who does, you may find it hard to keep track of them all! It might be even harder to keep track of them if they only exist in a book, like the characters in The Grapes of Wrath. The story follows the Joad family as they make 1500 mile trek from Oklahoma to California.

Along the way we get to know the family members and what they mean to each other. Understanding the Joad family tree can help bring their relationships into focus.

Ma and Pa Joad

When Tom is released from prison, he travels back to his home to be with his family. Tom's parents are simply known as Ma Joad and Pa Joad. Ma and Pa Joad are the parents of Rose of Sharon, Tom, Noah, Ruthie, Winfield and Al.

Ma Joad is a strong woman who works hard and takes care of the family. Pa Joad is Tom's father who was once the leader of their little clan. As they get closer to California and away from the life that Pa knows, he starts to take a back seat to Ma Joad's decision making.

Tom Joad

Tom is that main character of the story. He is the son of Ma and Pa Joad who returns to their home after being released from prison. He interacts well with all the members of his family, especially his younger brother. He is blunt but respectful with his family. He also works hard to help them all make their journey to California.

Rose of Sharon

Rose of Sharon is the pregnant sister of Tom Joad. She is completely caught up in her future child's life and does not get very involved with the drama involving the rest of the family. Even when Grampa Joad dies, Rose of Sharon is more concerned about how it might it affect her pregnancy rather than the family's sadness.

The narrator describes Connie and Rose of Sharon's interactions with the family by saying, ''The world had drawn close around them, and they were in the center of it.'

Grampa and Granma Joad

Grampa and Granma Joad are Pa Joad's parents and the grandparents of Noah, Rose of Sharon, Tom, Ruthie, Winfield and Al.

• Grampa Joad is pretty rude and aggressive with his family. He loves them, but he also likes to swear and uses the Lord's name in vain as much as possible despite having a very religious wife (Granma Joad).
• Granma Joad's first words in the book are '''Pu-raise Gawd fur vittory'' while Grampa Joad's first words are ''Where is he? Goddamn it, Where is he?'' Clearly, neither are concerned about offending the other.

The narrator tells us that ''They fought over everything, and loved and needed the fighting.''

Al Joad

Al Joad is the child of Ma and Pa Joad and brother to Tom, Ruthie, Winfield and Rose of Sharon. Al contributes to his family by helping with the car and driving it most of the way to California. He looks up to his older brother Tom and when they see each other for the first time in years, Al subconsciously emulates him.

Noah Joad

Noah is Ma and Pa Joad's son, and therefore Tom's brother. He is older than Tom and was born at home. Pa Joad treats Noah a little kinder than he does the other children because he feels guilty about the circumstances of his birth. Pa Joad pulled Noah out of his mother and his head was deformed in the process.

Noah is a quiet character who mostly interacts with his family by making suggestions. After they arrive in California, Noah leaves his family and decides to live next to a river. He explains that while his family is kind to him, they don't ''really care'' for him.

Uncle John

Uncle John is Pa Joad's brother. He was once married, but his wife developed a stomach ache that John thought was nothing. Turns out, she had appendicitis and died from it. Since then, John behaves very kindly, especially with his family.

The narrator tells us ''He's all the time makin' it up to somebody--givin' kids stuff, droppin' a sack a meal on somebody's porch.' In other words, he interacts generously with the family as a way to make up for his guilt about his wife's death.

Ruthie and Winfield

Ruthie is Ma and Pa Joad's 12-year old daughter, and Winfield is their 10-year old Son. They are almost always together, and the phrase ''Ruthie and Winfield'' is repeated over 40 times in the book.

Ruthie and Winfield interact with their family as we would expect children to. They are not privy to all the information and secrets that the adults know, but they are aware when important things (like Granma's death) happen.

The Joad family tree covers three generations.

Lesson Summary

In The Grapes of Wrath the Joad family is central to the story line.

Granma and Grampa Joad are the grandparents of the Joad family.
Ma and Pa Joad are the parents of the Joad family.

From oldest to youngest: Noah, Tom, Rose of Sharon, Al, Ruthie, and Winfield are the children of the Joad family.
Uncle John is Pa Joad's brother.

 

 

''The Grapes of Wrath'' tells the story of migrant workers during the Great Depression. In this tale, we see the roles of protagonist and antagonist filled by central characters and institutions. In this lesson, you'll learn more about each role.

The Grapes of Wrath

John Steinbeck's exploration of migrant workers struggling to chase the American Dream is played out in his novel, The Grapes of Wrath. The tale follows the Joad family as they face the harsh realities of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression, and set out for California to make a better life. What they find in California is not exactly what they were hoping for.

As in most novels, several characters play important roles in helping readers understand the action. Two of the most important roles are protagonist and antagonist. The protagonist is the leading character and is often the hero or heroine; often this character is the leader of a cause that readers can support and identify with. On the other side of the aisle is the antagonist. The antagonist is who the reader likely perceives as the bad guy or the adversary of the hero: this is the person or entity that is opposed to, or struggles with, the protagonist of the book.

In the case of The Grapes of Wrath, there is an identifiable character that fits each role. Let's take a look at who fills the positions of protagonist and antagonist in Steinbeck's work.

The Protagonist

When we look for a protagonist in The Grapes of Wrath, we need look no further than Tom Joad. Joad is the main character of the novel and also the first character we're introduced to as the story unfolds. As the protagonist, Joad is the hero of this story.

Joad is the favorite son of Ma and Pa Joad and is characterized by his many layers of personality. On one hand, he is kind, good-natured, works hard for his family, and is a go-getter. On the other hand, he is hot-tempered and violent, having killed a man in a drunken fight and attacked a policeman in another incident.

As the novel progresses, Joad's perspective shifts from protecting and guiding his family in the here and now, to wanting to protect and guide the migrant workers in America now and into the future. At one point, he tells his mother he wants to help organize people and fight inequality. This process is termed an 'education of the heart', as he learns more about the situation he finds his family and others in, and works to change it.

Joad is viewed as a wise and morally just individual throughout the novel, despite some of his illegal activities. Joad's personal development throughout the novel helps him to shift his perspective from only his family to a new family that encompasses those he sees suffering around him. By the time the book ends, Joad has earned the respect of the workers and the continued respect of his family.

The Antagonist

The idea of an antagonist in The Grapes of Wrath is an interesting one because, depending on your outlook, it could be one of two forces - a physical one or a thematic one.

First, a potential antagonist in physical form is the banks, whose actions help to kick off the initial journey of the book. When the landowners are unable to afford their home and land payments, the banks repossess the property and evict the farmers, a move that precipitates the Joad family's move out west. Indeed, the banks are referred to as a 'monster' in the text of Steinbeck's book. No one individual is singled out as responsible, rather banks as a group are considered bad. They are the adversary to the farmers from the outset of the story. If the banks had not come down on the families, there would be no move to California nor any of the actions that followed.

Of course, rational thought would tell you that the banks are simply the institutional 'face' of the real antagonist, which is poverty. The conditions that prompted the banks to repossess the farmers' land were brought about by the Great Depression and the drought that led to the Dust Bowl. Both events presented economic and agricultural conditions beyond the control of either the individuals or the institutions (such as the banks) in the story. Many would argue that poverty is the true antagonist of the book.

Because of poverty, the individuals in the story are placed in dire circumstances, which lead to poor working and living conditions, starvation, and sometimes death. Without poverty, the banks would not act in the way they do, and the move to California would never happen.

Lesson Summary

The Grapes of Wrath presents several alternatives for the antagonist, but a single choice for the protagonist in the novel. Tom Joad is the novel's protagonist, fighting for his family and, ultimately, for the workers. He is a good man and seeks equality and justice as he transforms throughout the pages of the book. The notion of an antagonist in the novel is a little less straight-forward. One possible adversary could be the banks or, looking more deeply, poverty itself, which is the ultimate root of the problems in the story.

 

 

Faced with terrible conditions at home and persecuted in California, migrant workers had it tough. But in ~'The Grapes of Wrath~', their cause inspired Tom Joad, migrant worker and ex-con, to dedicate his life to making theirs better.

Purpose in Life

Have you ever found a cause that is so important to you that you would risk your life and freedom for it? Tom Joad, the protagonist of the novel The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, finds such a cause, and it changes his whole life.

Joad and his family had to migrate away from the Dust Bowl in Oklahoma

Tom Joad's Early Goals

At the beginning, Tom Joad is a kind man, but he gets angry quickly and is very selfish.

When we first meet Tom, he has just been released from prison after serving four years for manslaughter. He was imprisoned for killing a man with a shovel during a fight. Now, Tom has made an important decision about the way he lives his life. He will not worry too much about the future or regret the past. Tom's going to live in the present.

As you'll see, he cannot hold on to this early goal long.

Much of Tom's eventual turn to selflessness is learned from preacher Jim Casy. Casy is the first familiar face Tom meets when he's released from prison, even before he makes it back to his family. Casy tells Tom that he's no longer preaching, but he still has a lot to say about how people must work together to achieve greater good.

When Tom gets home, his family is overjoyed to see him, and Casy's words about universal good fade from his mind, overshadowed by the immediate dire situation his family is in.