Travels Teach Tom Hard Lessons

It soon becomes clear that the only way the family will survive is to leave Oklahoma and head west, where there is hope of finding work and a better life. Tom's attitude of selfishness changes to one of a man who cares for his family.

As the family travels toward California, Tom works to keep them together. Unfortunately, almost immediately, members die or leave. Their dog is hit by a car, both Granma and Grampa die, and Tom's oldest brother, Noah, deserts the family as well.

Tom worries that his family is falling apart but feels powerless to stop it. Tom must step up to help the family, including digging a grave for his grandfather and fixing the family car.

As they travel further west, Tom begins to understand just what they are facing. The terrible conditions the migrants have to deal with becomes clearer. Tom is hushed for speaking up, and others are hurt and arrested.

During a scuffle at a camp, Tom trips a police officer. When the other officers arrive, Casy takes blame for stopping the officer and is arrested. Tom tries to lead the family further south, but they are stopped by people who have had enough of the 'Okies'. Tom is very upset at the loss of the opportunity for his family.

And as he gets further west, Tom's concern, which had been first for himself and then for his family, widens into a much more altruistic, general dismay at the plight of the migrant workers. He wonders, ''Maybe all men got one big soul ever'body's a part of.''

Ending with a Mission

When the family finally reaches the Weedpatch camp, which is a nice place free of corruption, Tom learns about the Farmer's Association, and eventually finds a job to help his family. He also manages to stop a riot-in-progress at the camp, though the unrest isn't completely gone.

The family eventually leaves Weedpatch in search of steadier work, and Tom finds Jim Casy. Casy tells Tom that he is now working to unionize the migrant workers. In fact, he's started the strike happening now.

But Casy and Tom don't get to have a long conversation, as police arrive and call Casy a communist. Casy protests and a police officer kills him with a pick-ax. Tom, enraged, kills the officer who killed Casy and then, realizing what he has done, runs away.

When the time comes for Tom to leave the family, he does it for their benefit and not his own. He knows that he is now wanted for killing the police officer, and he promises that he'll leave so he doesn't endanger his family. But before he says his goodbyes, he vows to continue working for the benefit of the migrant workers.

Overall Transformation

Faced with the realities of the Dust Bowl, the Great Depression, and his family's suffering, Tom is unable to hold to his initial selfishness. Instead, he devotes himself to changing the future for others affected by the Depression and the horrible conditions on farms and in camps.

He explains his mission, ''Wherever they's a fight so hungry people can eat, I'll be there. Wherever they's a cop beatin' up a guy, I'll be there.''

In this way, we see that Tom has completed his change. From only caring for himself, he transitioned to caring for his own family, and finally to caring for all migrant workers and being willing to do anything to help them.

Many migrants traveled to California with everything they owned

Lesson Summary

Tom Joad has found something to believe in. Though he starts the novel as a somewhat selfish former convict, his family's hardship turns him into an altruistic hero. Tom is introduced to the idea of selflessness from the former preacher Jim Casy.

Then, the conditions of the migrant workers, including his own family, shock Tom into the realization that he needs to act.

When he sees Casy killed by a police officer, Tom kills that officer. He leaves the family for their benefit, but leaves believing that together, people can be stronger than the powers that control them.

 

The Grapes of Wrath' is the story of the Joad family and their struggles as they try to find work during the Great Depression. This lesson focuses on Ma Joad and her strength and example.

Patriarchy

During the 1930s, it was more usual for a family to have been run completely by the father or males of the family. The women would run the home, while the men were the breadwinners and reason for direction. Especially, since women were not known to work as much as the men, and this is emphasized by the Great Depression which had made jobs even more scarce.

In The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck takes this standard role of women and shines a light on the strength that mothers have in not only holding their families together but keeping them moving forward. Since the Joad family is unemployed and without a farm all there is left is family, so Ma Joad ends up slowly taking control, until by the end of the novel, she behaves like the head of the family.

Woman of Steel

At the beginning of the story, we hear how the Joad's were pushed off their farm due to the inability to pay the bank what they owed. This meant all the men folk were without work, which had to be a huge struggle since that was the role they were used to. This also meant that everyone was now under the roof with Ma Joad and the other females: Grandma Joad, Rose of Sharon, and Ruthie. Ma Joad shows that she is strength personified as she manages to keep the family of 11 plus Connie together.

Although there would normally be direction from the men, Ma Joad evolves from being the backbone of the home, to being the foundation for the family in all things. She grows to have more control than her husband or her sons. The trip to California shapes her into an even stronger woman, where she is willing to stand up to police in hopes of protecting her family. She also displays great calm and composure when she realizes that Grandma Joad had died while they were on the road. Ma Joad noticed, but she said nothing. Instead, she went on pretending that Grandma was just sleeping and needed her rest so that the kids did not have to handle another person passing along the way.

The strength becomes necessary when Pa Joad starts to struggle in his role of leading the family. Ma does not become petulant in her new role. Instead, she becomes the leader the rest of the family needs. By the end of the novel, she is issuing and barking orders for the family to get out of the flood and get to safety. Although Pa Joad argues briefly, he capitulates quickly and follows her lead.

Love

Ma Joad is also an example of love and compassion. She loves her family immensely but also shows generosity and kindness to others. During their challenging journey to find work and a place to live in California, she constantly helps others on the road. She never asks Pa Joad for permission, just helps others, and lets him know later.

The narrator explains how Ma Joad realized that she had to be the example of calmness, love, and strength because she knew her family looked to her for these things. So even in light of Rose of Sharon's stillborn baby, Ma Joad just assures her daughter she can have another and she will be ok. She puts very little emphasis on it so that Rose of Sharon will take her lead and just move on, as they have all had to do time and again.

Lesson Summary

Ma Joad does not just run the home in Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath. She also has to start taking control of the family unit, making decisions for everyone and steering them in the right direction. She becomes the head of the family over the time frame of the novel, and Pa Joad steps back. Ma Joad is strength personified while also managing to portray love and compassion for her family and others during their journey.

 

In this lesson, we will learn about Pa Joad's character in 'The Grapes of Wrath' by considering him through the lens of other characters and through his interactions with his family.

Who is Pa Joad

There are several ways one might read The Grapes of Wrath character Pa Joad, which is one of the beautiful things about literature. One is free to analyze and interpret literature and literary characters, or read them through a various theoretical lenses, as one chooses, so long as there's supporting evidence in the text, in this case, The Grapes of Wrath. In this lesson, we are going to learn about Pa Joad though the context of family and actions.