Sohini Sengupta
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Grapes of Wrath Essay
John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath tells a story about the Joad family’s quest across
the country to California. He writes about the hardships they endure and the struggles they
go through to survive in the midst of depression. Not only do the Joads suffer
economically, but also socially as they try to defy higher authority. As the story progresses,
The Joad family realizes that change is needed in society. This sense of change also evokes
transformation in each of the members of the Joad family and causes them to develop into
more dynamic and involved characters.
Tom Joad Jr., one of the first characters we are introduced to, is at first portrayed in
a way that is misleading to his future involvement in family affairs. He is depicted as a
dangerous, rebellious “bad-boy”, who is willing to break laws to get what he wants. In the
chapter that he is first introduced, he insists on hitching a ride in a truck even though the
sign clearly states “no ride”. The truck driver finally surrenders to Tom’s persistent
badgering and gives him a lift. This triumph over the truck driver accentuates Tom’s
assertive and aggressive side. Finally, our suspicions are verified when Tom states that he
was previously jailed in McAlester for killing a fellow. However, when Tom is finally
reunited with his family, our perceptions about him completely change and are quite
contrary to the previous notions we held. He is actually a compassionate character who
cares deeply about his family and stays loyal to them until the end. He is a natural leader as
he battles and deals with the many crises that befall on the Joad family. His versatile
persona and intelligence allows him to fix the burned out bearing in the truck and his good
sense of judgment allows him to identify the instigators at the dance before they cause a
ruckus. Despite hard situations, Tom always remains the “team-player” rooting for the
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family to stay united and acting according to his family’s best interest. After he kills the
man that killed Casey, Tom insists he go into hiding to prevent the family from coming in
harm’s way. However, Tom decides otherwise when his mom pleads him and declares she
cannot stand to watch the family crack. This, also, proves that Tom shares a strong
emotional bond with his mother and respects her opinion so much that he would never go
against her wishes. He has proven himself with such conviction that his mother entrusts all
her faith in him. When Uncle John suggests that maybe Tom has left the family just like
Noah and Connie, she responds, “They’s stuff you’re sure of. Tom’s got work, an’ he’ll
come in this evenin’. That’s true”… “Ain’t he a good boy. Ain’t he a fine boy!”. (416) His
mother is so sure that Tom would never betray her or the family. The preacher, also, leaves
a deep impression on Tom’s ideals, and although the preacher dies, his movement does
not. Tom strives to keep alive Casey’s strike, and knowing he could die in the process, he
still insists on fighting for his country and fighting for change.
Ma Joad, one of the strongest characters in the novel, rebels from the traditional
view of woman as inferior. Throughout the novel, Ma transforms her role from homemaker
to leader of the family. The turning point in Ma’s character occurs when she threatens the
men with the jack handle. Here, Ma reverses gender roles, as she becomes the aggressor
and the men, the aggressed. The jack handle represents Ma’s inner strength and reappears
when some men with American legion caps stop the truck. Ma again uses force and
displays her power over Tom as she restrains him from striking. As the plot thickens, Ma
starts taking matters into her own hands. Acting alone, Ma pleads the officer to let the
truck pass because Granma is terribly sick. In reality, Ma knows that Granma is already
dead; she has enough confidence to lie and deal with Granma’s death alone. This shows
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that Ma is an independent woman and can make decisions without her husband at her side.
She can also be considered the main force that keeps the family together. Many do say that
nothing is stronger than a mother’s love. Her love for the family penetrates all of them and
prevents them from dispersing. This is exemplified when Ma prevents Tom from leaving.
Ma also is very influential in the family’s decisions. After staying some time in the
Weedpatch camp, she says, “Well, we got to get goin’, and’ goin’ quick. I ain’t a settin’
here no longer, no matter how nice.” In response, Tom says, “Ma gets tough. I seen her agettin’ mad quite a piece now. She jus’ boils up.” (452)
Rose of Sharon, who is pregnant for the majority of the novel, is overall a weak
character, but finally emerges as a strong one at the very end. In contrast to Ma, Rose of
Sharon epitomizes the traditional view of women. Throughout the novel, she acts overly
dependent on Connie and acts helpless in her pregnant state. Rather than making her own
plans to support her future baby, she expects Connie to be the main provider of the house.
She keeps on reinforcing that Connie will study radios and buy a nice home, but to what
avail. The person that she delegates all her trust to ends up betraying her. She, also, lacks
conviction and strong will. Later, she is easily swayed by Mrs. Sandry and her religious
rants. She submits herself to believing every one of Mrs. Sandry’s superstitious beliefs.
Despite all this, Rose of Sharon manages to pull herself together and assert herself more
convincingly. She endures a tragedy when her baby turns out to be a stillborn, but she ends
up recovering and coping with the situation. Accepting the situation demands mental
strength, which Rose ends up having. She realizes that life will move on and that there is
no point in reminiscing over the past. The only thing that can be done is hope for a bright
future. She paves the way for the Joads by finally coming to terms with herself. She acts
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with confidence as she provides the dying man with milk. She ends the novel with, “You
got to. There! There.” (581)
Al Joad is probably the character with the least emotional ties with his family.
Although he does play a vital role within family affairs, it seems like he is more interested
in playing mechanic rather than actually aiding them. His passion for his work
overshadows any kind of love he may have for his family. He seems very selfish, for he
always looks to stirrup his own desires rather than help others. He is always seeking a girl
and keeps on mentioning how he wants to find a job in the garage. He doesn’t care about
the fact that money needs to be made. He just cares about what kind of work is being done.
When he does finally find a girl, Aggie, he threatens to leave his family just for her. Pa
protests claiming that no one else is fit to drive the truck, but Al responds with, “I don’
care. Me an’ Aggie got to stick together.” (559)
Noah, perhaps one of the most overlooked characters, probably has the most
dramatic change in personality. Always feeling left out and unloved because of his
physical deformity, Noah must have conjured up a low self-esteem over the years. He
probably isn’t looked upon as the kind of person who could hold together an entire family.
After many years of living with his deformity, he finally decides to separate from his
family and find his own path. He finds a home in the water, and he speaks up and tells
Tom, “No, I ain’t. I know how I am. I know they’re sorry. But-Well, I ain’t a-goin’. You
tell Ma-Tom.” (268)
As it can be seen, All the members of the Joad family had different roles in dealing
with the problems that aroused, but they all evolved in some kind of way as they learned
from their experiences.