... efforts, John still is not able to console himself. When they get to Uncle John's house, Tom reunites with his family. Pa and Ma Joad are also there, along with Grandma and Grandpa Joad, and his brothers. Ma and Pa do not notice that Tom is there until he tells them that he is on parole ... with them. On the third day of travelling, the Wilson's car breaks down again. Tom and Jim suggest that they could stay behind to repair it, but Ma Joad refused to split up the family. Al and Tom go into town to find the parts they need. While they are there, they meet a bitter attendant. ... the cru...

• Word Count: 1415
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... of unity and acts accordingly as the primary cohesive force to keep her family together to ensure survival on their strenuous journey to California. From the beginning, Steinbeck immediately establishes Ma Joad as the center building block of family unity. When Tom first sees his mother for the first time since his imprisonment, she is described as "the citadel of the family ... " her. She can get buried in a nice green place. Trees around" an" a nice place. She got to lay her head down in California. (311). After listening to Ma Joad, Casy is filled with admiration for Ma's extraordinar...

• Word Count: 1488
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... nicer, and eventually a boxcar. They spend most of their time traveling across deserts and plains in their vehicle of choice, a Jalopy. Description of Main Characters: Tom Joad, the first person we meet in the book, was put in the McAlester State Penitentiary for four years for the crime of manslaughter. At the beginning of the book ... the cotton farm, Tom realized he could not stay out of other peoples" business, and he started to help form workers" unions and better the lives of others. Ma Joad, Tom's mother, was the one who kept the family together. Tom tired to leave at times early ...

• Word Count: 2457
• Approx Pages: 10
• Grade Level: High School

... at daybreak, the "emotional", but not physical death of Grampa occurs, as he refuses to leave the day of departure. Ma then slips some sleeping syrup into Granpa's drink, and the Joad family begins their journey to California. The second section of the novel is about their journey to California. Highway 66 is the ... . All of these foreshadow the future. After Ivy decides that the last stretch of the journey will kill Sarah, they separate from the Joad family. Ma soon becomes a symbol of humanism, when she keeps quiet about Granma's death so the family can cross the desert without a huge...

• Word Count: 1730
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... women in Of Mice and Men is the exact opposite of how he portrayed Ma. Her outstanding characteristic is the essential need for the family's unity. As the emotional and physical backbone of the Joad family, Ma demonstrates her leadership skills throughout the journey to California. There were many situations in ... the story in which, the family began to drift apart and Ma would shift to a position of active leadership. Ironically, the father ... of the family but usually the father was the central figure. Another issue dealt in both books is the cruelty of the world. The Joad family ha...

• Word Count: 2022
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

... of the plot, as well as a description of prominent characters and events in the story. John Steinbeck's novel tells the specific story of the Joad family in order to illustrate the hardship and oppression suffered by migrant laborers during the Great Depression. The novel begins with a description of the Dust ... to migrate to California in response to rumors and advertisements that there is job opportunity. Along the journey some family members are lost. When the Joad family arrives in California they find that there is no employment. Then they go to a government camp and their needs ar...

• Word Count: 1425
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School