... Grandpa's down under there" (Page 185). In this quote, Ruthie is looking down at a heap of dirt where Tom and Al just buried Grandpa Joad. Not too long after Ruthie said this, she ran off and quietly cried to herself. This shows just how much it affected Ruthie, who is only ... that point on in the novel, Granma Joad was never really herself again. When Grandpa Joad died, a piece of Granma Joad died too and this was the beginning of the family starting to split apart. Because Granma was so deeply saddened by Grandpa's death, Ma' then had to support Granma through the ... rest of the jou...

• Word Count: 1463
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... ) this suggests that car salesmen cheated their customers to gain more money at their expense. 7.What do the faces of the Joad family reveal about them? What are the most important characteristics of Ma and Pa and of the grandparents? Old Tom is described having a face, "squared by a bristling pepper and salt beard ... events for the rest of the migration. 2.What happens to solidify the family as they drive along? Of what significance is Grampa Joad's death? How does Granma take it? What is Ma's philosophy of "holdin' on"? What is the value of Casy's prayer? The family before the trip, wa...

• Word Count: 5172
• Approx Pages: 21
• Grade Level: High School

... 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

... 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

... the 1930's lived under. The novel tells of a family known as the Joads migration west to california through the great economic depression of the 1930's. the Joad family had to abandon their home and their livelihoods. They had to uproot and set adrift because tractors were rapidly industrializing their farms. The bank took possessions ... Here they found ways to successfully govern themselves through their tent cities which is why they looked to establish a common ground. Times were rough for the Joad family as well as many other families. The plantation owners jacked up the prices and c...

• Word Count: 1597
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... the 1930's lived under. The novel tells of a family known as the Joads migration west to california through the great economic depression of the 1930's. the Joad family had to abandon their home and their livelihoods. They had to uproot and set adrift because tractors were rapidly industrializing their farms. The bank took possessions ... Here they found ways to successfully govern themselves through their tent cities which is why they looked to establish a common ground. Times were rough for the Joad family as well as many other families. The plantation owners jacked up the prices and c...

• Word Count: 1596
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... to California. Not only did he change as a result of the long trip, but also he had a major impact on Jim Casy and on the whole Joad family in general. The significance of these changes helped to determine the whole plot of the unfolding story. Tom's influences changed the way the characters felt and acted ... . In the beginning of the novel, Tom Joad has just been released from prison for having killed a man. (Here we find him in a proud, non-regretting state of mind.) As he catches up with ... a life out of catching fish. Tom tried to explain that the family needed him, but it was too ...

• Word Count: 658
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... his mom he should leave so he doesn't bring more hardship to the family. On page 390 the books says, "Ma I have to go or you"ll all be in trouble cause of me. I"m sorry I dun" it ma I couldn't help myself." His mother came out to his hiding spot to give him food. And she found him ... almost crying because of all the trouble he is causing. On page 403 the book says "Ma, maybe I should just leave. I could make it on my own. I don't want to cause you any more trouble." He just said he was going to ... He regrets his mistake so much he decides to leave his family. Lastly, Tom reacts by tot...

• Word Count: 490
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... the horrors resulting from the depression. The characters Steinbeck introduces are fascinating. Some characters insight feelings of sympathy while others are despised. Although the Joad family revolves around Ma Joad, the protagonist in The Grapes of Wrath is Tom Joad. Steinbeck allows us to learn about Tom through his dialogue with other characters rather than narration. Tom is introduced as a hitchhiker recently paroled from ... anybody else come for me, I'd do her again- (Steinbeck 55). Through such dialogue readers can infer that Tom is honest, fair, tough, and confident. As Tom and...

• Word Count: 832
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... of Wrath is a novel by John Steinbeck; it tells a story about the struggles of migrant farmers during the Great Depression. The book tells a story about the Joad's, the main family in the book, struggle during these tough times. In the book many of the characters change due to the troubles that they experience. In the ... They have to sell all of their belongings to get money for the trip. Granpa gets second thoughts before they leave and decides he is going to stay. Ma drugs him and they carry him to the car. The first night they stay by the Wilson's. Their car has broken down and the ...

• Word Count: 988
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

John Steinbeck's classic novel, The Grapes of Wrath follows the trials and tribulations of Tom Joad and his family, along with a supporting cast of characters which includes members of Tom's family, as well as local people. When Tom is released from prison ... this book, Jim Casy, who is a former preacher who seems to value the importance of human contact as something quite holy. Tom and Jim together travel to the Joad's residence, only to learn that his family is at his Uncle John's house. There they are planning the long trip to California in search of jobs with high wages ... nearby strea...

• Word Count: 700
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... to no one in particular, but rather to all people as a general whole. In the next chapter, the book begins a narrative of the Tom Joad, an ex-convict searching for his family after a four-year sentence. This narrative also takes place in Oklahoma. This alternating pattern between passive historical chapters ... is always present in an unexplainable way. The novel consists of an account of the travels conducted by the Joad family, Tom Jr., Tom Senior, Rosasharn, Ruthie, Winfield, Connie, Granma, Granpa, Uncle John, and Ma; as well as their close friend Casy, an ex-reverend. The bank had b...

• Word Count: 1327
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... met anybody like them. They have strong feelings, and when you see all they have to endure, you end up admiring them. As the story begins, Tom Joad, a young man of about thirty, is hitch-hiking home to his parents" farm in Oklahoma. He is dressed in cheap new clothes, for he has just ... have one great soul of which each individual has a small bit for himself. Casy accompanies Tom to his parents" farm, but when the two men reach the Joad place they find it deserted, the house falling down and cotton planted in the dooryard. From a neighbour, Muley Graves, they learn that the Joads (Tom's...

• Word Count: 825
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... many reach for and the hidden consequences under that skin of beauty. "The Grapes of Wrath" tells a story of spirit, strength, and unity the Joad family needs in order to live through the fury of their journey to reach their dreams. Throughout the movie the characters themselves represent these characteristics and show us ... truly what "The Grapes of Wrath" stands for. The Joad family set out on a journey not knowing what to look for like many historians of the past. For example when Columbus set out to explore that ... of plenty and what they were to do with them when they got to Cali...

• Word Count: 620
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... 1940. The director, John Ford, decided to change the ending when putting this film together. In the movie version, "The Grapes of Wrath", it shows the, Joad's family, packing up their things and heading to a farm where there is supposedly twenty days worth of work, picking cotton. The overall mood seems to be upbeat ... and sprits seem to be high. The Joad's left a government provided camp of sort in order to take a chance on this twenty day cotton picking journey. Tom, the oldest son, has just left the ... nearby river swelling from the amount of rain that is falling. If the river swel...

• Word Count: 752
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... well before blue screens, computer graphics, or even color picture, this film has an incredibly vibrant and immersing set, even when compared to today's technology. In the Scene when Tom Joad and Jim Casy are walking to his house, when Tom has just returned from jail, is completely taken over by the scenery. The background is full of dead trees and ... Toms house is reached. The gray color in the sky and the dead rolling hills that lead up to it create a mood that is hard to capture. Also, when the Joad family finally reaches a farm in which they can find work and they pass through the ...

• Word Count: 798
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

In the classic novel, The Grapes of Wrath, the Joad family, who was evicted from their land, decides to migrate out west to California for a chance at survival. John Steinbeck, the author of the novel, uses multiple literary techniques to ... character development is a character that evolves from self indulgence into caring about his or her family, and then finally society. Many characters in the novel complete this cycle, especially Tom Joad. When we first meet Tom in chapter two, he is walking down the road in a cheap new suit because he was just released from prison. Tom convinces a truck...

• Word Count: 1107
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

Quote: Tom Joad, page 570: ""Hm-m," he said. "Lookie, Ma. I been all day an" all night hidin" alone. Guess who I been thinkin" about? Casy! He talked a lot. Used ta bother me. But now I been thinkin" what he said, an" I can ... that nobody had a soul. Actually, he thought that everyone was a part of a greater soul, and should always be there for one another. Unlike Casy, people like Muley Graves and Granpa Joad are in opposition to this theory of interdependent living. Both of them wanted to stay behind instead of going to California. They would rather have lived alone and through nature ......

• Word Count: 500
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... threatens to call upon her brother, who has killed two men and is now in hiding. Ruthie's revelation endangers Tom and forces him to abandon both his hideout and family. Ma, whose primary goal has been to keep the family together, must bid another painful farewell. Through his speech, Muley reveals that he is stubborn and refuses to accept the fact ... " (501). Analysis/ Commentary Ever since the day of his wife's death, Uncle John has been a lonely, guilt-ridden man. He considers himself a burden on the family and constantly blames the Joad family's misfortunes on himself and his sin. H...

• Word Count: 487
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School