Book Analysis: Grapes Of Wrath

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Grapes of Wrath Summer Assignment
1.
a. The majority of the Joad family thinks of Jim Casy as just a preacher, but he wants to be known as a person, because he realizes that all of humanity is holy in their own way. He tells Uncle John, “Look John, ever’ body takes a crack at me ‘cause I been a preacher. A preacher ain’t nothin’ but a man” (263). Jim Casy expresses mankind’s holiness by starting a workers’ union, but it angers the townspeople and eventually leads to his murder. Jim’s beliefs and efforts are passed down to Tom Joad, who continues to communicate his views.
b. As the leader and mother figure of the Joads, Ma Joad wants the entire family to have a prosperous and secure life in California. She is reluctant at first to move, because …show more content…
Throughout the Joads’ journey to California, Rose of Sharon excitedly anticipates the arrival of her baby. She wants nothing more than her child’s well-being, and as the Joads attempt to make a living in California, Rose of Sharon avidly focuses on childbirth, requesting for milk and learning about motherhood in the Weedpatch government camp. When her child’s stability is jeopardized by the harsh words of Lisbeth Sandry, Rose of Sharon is terrified, whispering to her mother, “When she said about burnin’, I – felt burnin’” (378). When her baby arrives stillborn, Rose of Sharon is heartbroken, but realizes she needs to move on and selflessly breastfeeds a starving …show more content…
Steinbeck also recognizes that necessity is an obstacle in Americans’ dreams. The Joads are financially obstructed by necessity, for when the family finds a stable peach-picking job they are forced to use all of their money to buy food. Many families traveling to California fail to support themselves, resulting in a strong desire for provisions. When sharing his experience in jail, Jim Casy explains to Tom, “Well, they was nice fellas, ya see. What made ‘em bad was they needed stuff. An’ I begin to see, then. It’s need that makes all the trouble” (451).
c. Finally, Steinbeck sees that selfishness gets in the way of Americans’ dreams. The greedy land owners that take advantage of poor migrant families represent the idea that not everybody can accomplish their dreams, but everybody wants to be the one person who does. When the Joad family is underpaid for their labor, the proprietor tells them, “That’s what we’re payin’. There’s two hundred men coming from the South that’ll be glad to get it” (465).The extreme desire for jobs in California shows that selfishness damages the American people’s hope for a better
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