Andrew
John Steinbeck: Grapes of Wrath
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Grapes of Wrath
For my primary source I chose Steinbeck's epic The Grapes of Wrath. This novel tells the story of the Joad family's trek across the nation from Oklahoma to California. Facing debt and eviction from thier farms in Oklahoma the Joads and thousands of other "Okies" belive in the dream that California offers salvation from thier poverty. As a whole, the Okies and other migrants encounter resistance from local officials and from prejudice land owners. Forced to become a cohesive unit, the migrants band together in camps as a way to fight back against the inequalities stacked before them. The road allows them to gather en masse and by doing this allows them to stand up for thier rights.
Steinbeck introduces the reader to the entire Joad clan, each using the road for a different purpose. For example, Tom Joad, a recent parole, sees the road as an escape from his jail-life, but is caught in conflict as leaving Oklahoma breaks his parole. In this way, the road offers both an escape and and a trap for him. Ma and Pa Joad , both hardworking farmers, see the road as a natural process because they have no other option. They try to keep the family together as a whole through self sacrifice. Casey, a former preacher, finds the road as a pathway to spiritual enlightenment, and ends up finding his cause with the migrant workers in California. Rose of Sharon and her husband Connie are the typical idealists, beliveing that the road will open new opportunities of class imporvemnet. Only one person, Grandpa Joad, believes that the road offers nothing but sorrow and decided to stay behind, only to be drugged by the family.
Secondary Source
For Secondary Sources, I used four different sources. They ranged from a modern day account of Weedpatch, CA to a peice on the role of family in Grapes of Wrath. Each source aided in the research paper.
