The Joad family begin an epic journey with dreams and hopes. Grandpa, for one, imagines a life of ease picking grapes and eating all the fruit he wants. Rose of Sharon and Connie imagine a successful career as a radio operator with a new house for the new baby and ice. Yet, along the way they learn harsh truths about their new reality from the cost of labor, discrimination, and suffering endemic to the human condition.
What is one dream or illusion that they have that is shattered or that they stubbornly hold despite all evidence to the contrary? What is one epiphany or enlightenment they learn? Is there a connection between the two?
In John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, the characters’ constant exposure to unfavorable circumstances has led them to experience frequent epiphanies, which have helped them come to terms with and better handle their hardships. One of these particularly impactful realizations stemmed from Casy’s experience in jail, and his newfound understanding of the underlying power imbalance that causes and perpetuates the large-scale injustice and suffering seen throughout the story. Recounting the men he met in prison to Tom, Casy says, “Well, they was nice fellas, ya see. What made ‘em bad was they needed stuff. An’ I begin to see, then. It’s need that makes all the trouble.” The men’s conversation is very significant, as it gives insight into humans’ actions, making it clear that most people aren’t ‘bad’ by nature, but just deprived of basic human rights.
ReplyDeleteAs the plot follows the Joads on their journey to find work and ultimately better lives, the reader comes across various instances of violence and hatred between social groups, which is learned to be rooted in fear. This fear, for example, is the cause of Casy’s tragic death, among others, as he served as a leader of a workers’ strike. Prior to his death, his speech to Tom about his experiences after being incarcerated is meaningful, allowing Tom to understand that the violence and hatred don’t come from true evil, but the imbalance of necessities. It also highlights how systemic inequalities can significantly impact human behavior and lead to widespread chaos and suffering.
In the book “The grapes of wrath” we hear a lot of dreams that the Joads have. Before they leave Oklahoma, they imagine California as a paradise. They dreamt of picking peaches and other fruits and living their dream lives in their own house in California. The grandfather and the mother especially express their dreams. They are firmly convinced that these dreams will come true even when they meet people who tell them of the reality. For instance, the guy at the gas station who apparently was on his way back from California. Tom's mother holds onto the thought of their own house even when they have already arrived in California. After they left the hooverville and arrived at the weedpatch, she tells Rose of Sharon that everything will be fine as soon as they get their own house. She tells Rose of Sharon that because she is worrying about her child and Conny who left her. Conny and Rose of Sharon also had a dream together. Until Conny left her, they always held onto the dream that Conny would open his own business in California and earn money for the new family. This dream was gone as soon as he left.
ReplyDeleteI think the moment when the family realized that they won't be able to achieve their dreams was when they left the peach farm. After Tom told them what happened the night before all of them realized that the government would do anything to get people who protest away. I believe that the death of the preacher was impactful on the family since it was a person they have known for a long time. I wonder how they are going to handle the whole situation. Are they going to return to Oklahoma?
In the Grapes of Wrath, the Joad family had a big dream of moving to California and finding a better life. Throughout the book, they had kept that dream alive, constantly talking about the idea of paradise and how they were going to move to California to have a good life, picking peaches and grapes, and living in a nice little house. But their dreams are shattered when they come across the harsh reality of being an immigrant of their time in California. They have to deal with unfair wages, government control over their lives, and being used as strike breakers without even knowing.
ReplyDeleteDespite their problems, they maintain a sense of unity and belonging among their family and are still good people at heart, helping other immigrants like the Wilsons by giving them food and money, even though the Joad's didn't have much themselves. They become enlightened by the idea that helping each other is the only way they will make it through their problems, and they realize the other immigrants who are in the same situation they are, are willing to help each other and are not going to leave them behind.
At the beginning of their journey, the Joad family is under the impression that their quality of life will improve in California. With more job opportunities and a fresh start. Of course this is not an ideal situation for them as they are literally forced to move, any sort of positive anticipation for their new lives are a reaction to their unfortunate reality. They believe that there is a ton of work waiting for them, but along the way they realize that is far from the truth. They face many setbacks along the way including discrimination, poverty, and desperation, but it doesn't stop at their destination either. They have to quickly come to the realization that this dream was just a dream. Reality crushed the illusion, leaving them to fend for themselves. Over time, they learn that they have to stick together. The book illustrates this through their friendships with the Wilsons, and overall sense of community at the camps. Separate families quickly became one. Someone else's child became everyone's child. The idea of poor helps poor embodies more and more overtime throughout the novel. Ma gave the last of her family's food to the hungry children. They weren't her children, but she selflessly gave away a necessity she could easily have used. She understood their struggle and put it above her own. Another example of this was when she was buying food at the store and she just wanted some sugar for the coffee. The storekeeper covered the cost and let her take it because he also knows the struggle.
ReplyDelete