In The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck greatly depicts the themes of strong sacrifice and strength through the use of the characters Ma Joad and Rose of Sharon. These two characters represent the need for a feeling of unity and the desperation faced by so many people world-wide who struggle for survival. Throughout the ... those dreams in order to focus on her survival, as well as the survival of her immediate family and her universal family- the Okies. Rose of Sharon's sacrifice is just one example of many sacrifices that are made by the migrating people in order to hang on and take care of each o...

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... the theme of brotherhood. A logical ending is also used in the novel to suggest the theme of brotherhood. At the end of the novel, Rose of Sharon was the only character who did not complete the cycle of character development. At the beginning she was just concerned about herself and her baby because when a ... car hit the dog, she was worried if witnessing that gruesome event would harm her baby or not. Later in the novel, Rose of Sharon starts to show concern for the family by looking after Tom. After Tom kills the man who killed Jim Casy, Tom needs to hide in the cave. ... for him by...

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... of the major themes in the novel. It is traceable through many of the characters such as Jim Casey, Tom Joad, Ma Joad, and Rosa of Sharon. It is also traceable through many different actions taken by the Joad family on the whole. The character of Jim Casy plays a strong role in bringing ... and his prison experience that reveals to Jim that only through the unity and concern for the entire human race will the migrants succeed. Rose of Sharon is another character which can be used to trace the progression of the Joads from a concern for themselves and their own personal welfare to a conce...

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... there that they feel their fiduciary troubles will end. Unfortunately for the Joads, California does anything but solve their problems. Tom's grandparents die en route, Tom's younger sister, Rose of Sharon, is pregnant and thinks she might lose the baby, jobs become difficult to find, and all the camps are full of people in similar or worse situations. This new wave ... . He plans on uniting the workers into a union. A long rain floods the region and makes living in their boxcar hard as it could easily by washed away. After Rose of Sharon gives birth to a stillborn child, the Joads decid...

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... to endure along the way, that they are not only looking out for themselves, but for everyone around them as well. For example, Rose of Sharon cares only about herself the day she leaves home. Steinbeck comments on Rose of Sharon and Connie, "The world was drawing close around them, and they were in the center of it, or rather Rose of ... Sharon was in the center, with Connie making a small orbit around her (Steinbeck 132)." Later she suffers when she loses her baby. After the delivery is over, Ma Joad says to ... down of societal structure demonstrated with this quote is just like in ...

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... staying near her side. She tends to Grandma Joad with the utmost compassion. Ma Joad also teaches her children compassion. When Grandma Joad was dying, Ma Joad urged Rose of Sharon to fan Grandma and stay by her side. It is in these actions that we see the compassion of Ma Joad. It is through her heart that she feels the ... 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 rea...

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... . They are living out of their boxcar and are being hit with a few majors problems at the same time. The smaller of the two is the problem that Rose of Sharon is in labor. She gives birth just to find out that her baby is already dead. It is shriveled, blue, and lifeless. The larger of the two problems is that ... river swelling from the amount of rain that is falling. If the river swells anymore a massive flood will break out. The rest of the family excluding, ma and Rose of Sharon, all go and try to build a levee to stop the river from washing them away. They get help from many of thei...

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... to the hungry children after serving her family. Lastly, at the end of the novel. Ma and Rose of Sharon found an old starving man. Ma has the same idea as Rose of Sharon to feed the old man milk from Rose of Sharon's breast. Ma is ultimately the only one in the Joad family that keeps the family going. She is determined ... ...

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... , and every camp the Joads called home, the family was part of a bigger family. In the boxcar camp, the Joads became close with the Wainwrights, who helped birth Rose of Sharon's baby. However, in addition to broken family relations, not all relationships formed were pleasant ones. The migrants were pushed off of their land by the banks, or monsters, of the ... . The boxcar camp provided a roof over each family's head in a small boxcar. Lastly, the barn in the last chapter from the book provided refuge from the rain for Rose of Sharon and Ma. Whether luxurious or derisory, the Joads" adap...

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... rain a lot and all of the men must build an embankment to hold back the water. All of the men must chip in or they must all leave. Rose of Sharon goes into labor and has a baby that is born dead because of a lack of nutrients. The next day they decide to find high ground. They find a barn; it is already ... occupied by a boy and his starving father. Rose of Sharon decides to give him some of her breast milk. I would recommend this book to everyone. I believe it to show us very well about all the troubles that our ancestors went ... ...

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... sacred and lifesaving because of its offerings provided to them, opportunities they receive and people around them. Mama Joad gets to shower every day then wear pretty dresses, Rose of Sharon takes classes on how to take care of kids, and Al can look in the mirror to check himself out. These beautiful things soon fill their minds and break the ... ...

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... strength of the human spirit under stress and the dreadful conditions the Joad family suffered. The Joad family began with Ma, Pa, Granpa, Granma, Tom, Al, Ruthie, Connie, Rose of Sharon, Winfield, Uncle John and Casey a former preacher. Whilst on the road they meet the Wilsons who let the Joad's use their tent when Granpa was dying. Many other characters drift ... ...

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... happens to inspire other characters in the novel to make a change in themselves for the better. This can truly be seen in the end of the novel when Rose of Sharon cares so much for an old sick man whom she does not even know, that she would be willing to give the man her life saving breast milk that was ... ...

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