The colonial and traditional American view of a woman was for a woman to be the keeper of the children and the house. Women would look after the children, cook meals, churn butter, and wash and make clothes for the family. But in the book, Ma Joad does more than just her share of chores. She tend

This last characteristic is the most appealing. It is Ma Joad’s emotional characteristic. Through the book, Ma isn’t a woman of many words but she shows a lot of concern for those around her. She suffers by seeing others suffer. She wasn’t afraid to argue aggressively with Pa and Tom. She wasn’t afraid to encourage Rose of Sharon when Connie ran away. She knew the right words to say to bring her daughter back to reality. After this, she pierced Rose of Sharon’s ears. This act symbolizes that Rose of Sharon is an adult, no longer a child.

Here Ma Joad stands up for what she thinks that her family must do in order to survive. Even when Pa Joad threatened her with ‘the stick,’ she was not afraid to speak how she felt. But her quote doesn’t just refer to herself. It refers to women, indicating this is something that any and/or all women would do. Also, note that Pa Joad says that men used to be the one’s making the decision and now the women is stepping out of her traditional household role. He seems to be offended, as if Ma is trying to undermine his authority, which she clearly isn’t.

“Times when they’s food an’ a place to set, then maybe you can use your stick an’ keep your skin whole. But you ain’t a-doin’ your job, either a-thinkin’ or a-workin’. If you was, why, you could use your stick, an’ women folks’d sniffle their nose an’ creep-mouse aroun’. But you just get out a stick now an’ you ain’t lickin no women you’re a-fightin

Some topics in this essay:
Ma Joad, Ma Joad’s, Pa Joad, Grapes Wrath, , Pa Tom, Tom Wilson, Grandma Joad, ma joad, Rose Sharon, War II, ma joad’s, rose sharon, role woman, woman family, grandma joad, pa joad, pa tom, stick an’, role woman family, world war, compassion ma joad,