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Grapes of Wrath Discussion Questions
Chapters 18-22
Answer the following questions in your notebook.
Chapters 18-19
1. What information about California do the Joad men father while they are washing in the river?
2. Okies becomes a derogatory term. Why are the land owners afraid of Okies?
3. Ma prophetically says to Tom, “Family’s fallin’ apart.” How does the family become smaller in chapter
18?
4. How does Ma Joad, considered the pillar of the family, begin to change throughout this chapter?
5. Why does the California border patrol allow the Joads to cross without too much trouble?
6. In Chapter 19, a contrast is made between the physical activity of a farmer working his own land and the
type of labor involved here. Cite some examples of this contrast.
7. Explain this paradox: “the great owners… had become through their holdings more and less than men.”
Chapters 20-21
8. What “habit” of the road do Ruthie and Wilkie automatically assume?
9. What is the blacklist?
10. What does it mean to be bull-simple?
11. Describe Connie’s attitude toward the family’s difficulties. What action does he take? Did we see this
coming?
12. Why is Casy arrested?
13. How do Ruthie and Winfield surprise Tom and Al?
14. Chapter 21 describes the hate, anger, and cruelty that are increasing. What has changed the migrants into
frustrated individuals? Find a quote.
Chapters 22-23
15. What are some differences between the government camp at Weedpatch and at Hooverville?
16. Timothy and Wilkie’s invitation contributes to which theme in our novel?
17. Explain the connection between the Bank of the West and the Farmer’s Association.
18. What does Ma mean when she says, “We come home to our own people… Why, I feel like people
again”?
19. List the various ways that the migrants find entertainment.
20. What is the “labor” of a preacher nearby at an irrigation ditch?
Chapters 24--25
21. What is the “entertainment Committee”?
22. Is Huston a good Committee leader? Support your answer with evidence from the text.
23. How are the troublemakers at the dance dealt with? What is the irony that Huston discovers when he
talks to the three men?
24. What is a turkey shoot? What happened in another part of the USA, when some mountain boys had a
turkey shoot?
25. In chapter 25, what is the cause and reason for the destruction and waste?
26. The chapter closes with this statement: “In the souls of the people, the grapes of wrath are filling and
growing heavy for the vintage.” Explain both the literal meaning and symbolic implication of this
statement.
27. Explain the contrast between the grapes of this chapter and those in Chapter 8.
Chapters 26-27
28. Why is Ma’s anger an effective weapon against the Joad family’s lethargy and/or despair?
29. Why is Pa “all right” and “ain’t beat” according to Ma?
30. What kind of promises does Al make to his girlfriend? How does this characterize Al?
31. Quote a statement that indicates Ma’s unfailing courage may be flagging.
32. What are the specific reasons for the striking and picketing at Hooper farm?
33. Describe the events which cause Tom to go into hiding.
34. Chapter 27 reports the difficulties in picking cotton and obtaining a fair wage. What unfair practices
may occur?
Chapters 28-30
35. State the living condition of the Joad’s boxcar.
36. What led Ruthie to tell about her older brother Tom?
37. Is Ruthie a stagnant or dynamic character?
38. Tom quotes Casy, who had cited Scripture: “For if they fall, the one will lif’ up his fellow, but woe to
him that is alone when he falleth, for he hath not another to help him up.” State the significance of the
statement in relation to the theme and circumstances of the novel.
39. How does Tom reflect Casy’s ideas?
40. Chapter 29: How are horses valued more than men?
41. Again, the women watch the men for signs of breaking. Explain this quote: “the break would never
come as long as fear could turn to wrath.” Is this true?
42. What are some possible reasons for Rose of Sharon’s stillborn baby? Did she know that the baby would
be stillborn?
43. What does the stillborn baby symbolize?
44. How has Rose of Sharon grown and matured through this experience?
45. What theme does the story end on?