Grapes of Wrath
Novel Questions
Chapters 1-6
1. What is the significance of the setting in the opening chapters?
 I believe that it’s trying to give hints to the reader about the era, but I think John
Steinbeck is trying to make the reader understand this on their own.
2. Steinbeck uses what are called "intercalary chapters" which are not about the
Joads but about the social background needed to better understand the point of the
novel. What does the turtle episode in Chapter 3 have to do with this novel?
 This is significant because it shows that you can do anything you put your mind
to.
3. We meet Jim Casey in Chapter 4; give details about his past.
 He used to be a preacher, but now is no longer one.
Chapters 7-11
1. Explain the significance of chapter seven. Why did Steinbeck include the "car
talk" segment?
 To show that anyone would do anything, to someone just to make a dollar.
2. In this section, you witness the homecoming sequence and gain more knowledge
about the family members. Based on this sequence, how would you describe both
Ma and Pa?
 Ma is very much like a Mother indeed. She is kind, and lovely, everything that
a mother should be. Pa seems to be optimistic about his work, and life, but not so
much on what lies ahead.
3. "An’, by God, they’s grapes out there, just a-hangin’ over inta the road. Know
what I’m a-gonna do? I’m gonna pick me a wash tub full of grapes, an’ I’m gonna
set in ‘em, and scrooge around’, an’ let the juice run down my pants." Who makes
this statement and what is its significance?
 Grampa makes this statement, and I believe it relates to him wanting to live a
better life.
Chapters 12-26
1. Chapter 12 is another intercalary chapter. Give some specifics about shared
experiences of all the strangers traveling west.
 Everyone is questioning themselves whether they’re going to make it or not.
Should they just give up? What will happen in the end?
2. Explain why the death of Grampa in Chapter 13 is not tragic. Go beyond the
obvious about age and death.
 Grampa wouldn’t want them to mourn over his death. He wouldn’t want them
to have a moment of sadness, when they could go on with their life and be happy.
3. In Chapter 16, Tom says, "I’m still layin’ my dogs down one at a time." Explain
how that line is at the heart of the migrants’ attitude.
 It’s the heart of the migrants because they’re losing things more quickly now.
Chapters 17-20
1. In these chapters, Steinbeck uses the word "family" to convey more than the
traditional family unit. What does Steinbeck mean by his useage?
 It means that people are more as a family, then a community. Their family still
obides by the normal laws, but they’re closer together.
2. "The man took two steps backward. "Well, you ain’t in your country now. You’re
in California, an’ we don’t want you goddamn Okies settlin’ down." Explain the
confrontation that had taken place prior to this incident and also explain how these
comments foreshadow events in the future.
 It shows that problems are taking place, and the ones that are going to.
3. Why is Tom so frightened when the "law" appears in the fields? What happened?
 Because when the law came, it usually meant bad things for the people.
4. Chapter 20 is a significant one for selfless acts. Briefly describe two scenes in
which the characters put others before themselves.
 When Casey takes the blame for Tom on the deal he made with Floyd that fell
through. Ma, I think, has shown selflessness throughout the whole book.
Chapters 21-24
1. Chapter 21 shows the growing ill felling towards the Okies and poor in general.
Discuss briefly who is to blame for the fight to work for the lowest wage.
 The owners are the ones to blame because they don’t care who they stomp on, they’re
going to do it. They own almost everything.
2. Chapter 22 is a long one and one of the most comfortable ones for the reader as
the Joads have a decent place to live. The Weedpatch Camp causes lots of unease
with the nearby landowners and others. Explain why.
 Because they can’t make their own rules in the camp, they have to go by what the
government says.
3. The intercalary chapter 23 shows a respite in an increasingly violent world. The
music is important, but what is even more important? What do the evenings do for
the poor and homeless?
 Dancing is more important than the music. When life gives you hardship, and when it
rains in your world, you have to dance when it pours, and smile to get through it all.
Chapters 25-26
1. The intercalary Chapter 25 has a discussion of taxes and who pays them. What is
the Okie’s argument?
 They say that the food that is not eaten should be given to the hungry.
2. At the end of Chapter 25, Steinbeck refers to the grapes of wrath. Explain the
image he uses.
 He uses the life cycle, and when something goes wrong, it creates a domino effect
on life itself.
3. In Chapter 26, Jim Casey reappears. Describe how he takes on the burdens of the
pickers; what happens to him?
 He forms a strike for the pickers, and is promised 5 cents a box, but only gets half of
what he was promised. He then gets killed by a pick handle by the men.
Chapters 27-30
1. "Ma’s eyes passed Rose of Sharon’s eyes, and then came back to them. And the
two women looked deep into each other. The girl’s breath came short and gasping.
"She said, ‘Yes.’
"Ma smile. ‘I knowed you would. I knowed!’"
What is the significance of this scene?
 It shows how life keeps going in its cycle. It shows that no matter what, life
keeps going on.
2. How does this scene prove that Rose of Sharon has changed?
 Because she gives to someone she doesn’t know, and that gives her a feeling of Grace.
3. If you had a crystal ball and could see into the future, what would your "chapter
31" contain? Make certain that your answer reflects your understanding of
Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath.
 I would change the family and their relationships with each other. In chapter 31, it
would be about the unity of family, and the love that bonds that together, if I could have
wrote it =)
4. "[Casey] went out in the wilderness to find his own soul, an ‘he foun’ he didn’
have no soul that was his’n. Says he found he jus’ got a little piece of a great big
soul."
Explain the significance of this statement.
 I believe it shows that he is at peace with himself, and that he has come at ease with
his life now.