Tom Joad in chapter 28 in referencing Jim Casy’s Philosophy by saying: “...he went out in the wilderness to find his own soul, an’ he foun’ he didn’t have no soul that was his’n. Says he foun’ he jus’ got a little piece of a great big soul. Says a wilderness ain’t no good, ’cause his little piece of a soul wasn’t no good ’less it was with the rest, an’ was whole.” (Steinbeck ch 28) From this statement and Tom’s own recent experiences, the change to tom’s own character begin to change from a person who deals with the present moment into a person who wants to care for his family and prepare for the future. This does occur about 3/4 through the story of which before this Tom was still mainly self centered and an act on the moment person. The Grapes of Wrath is a story about a journey; many journeys in many different novels and movies have a lot of changes occur both to the environment and the characters. After Jim Casy dies during the migrants’ journey, Tom starts to undergo his final parts in becoming a family oriented and looking-out-for-others man according to this quote: “Wherever they’s a fight so hungry people can eat, I’ll be there. Wherever they’s a cop beatin’ up a guy, I’ll be there. ... An’ when our folks eat the stuff they raise an’ live in the houses they build—why, I’ll be there.” This sentence is showing Tom’s new attitude and gratitude toward others. Tom being a dynamic character that changes throughout the …show more content…
Attention to detail is especially apparent during chapters with the Joads. Like during chapter 16, Tom and AL are trying to fix the touring car: “...Tom listened. "Put up your spark an ' idle," he said... "Con-rod bearing, ain 't it?" "Sounds like it," said Tom. "I kep ' plenty oil in," Al complained.” (Steinbeck Ch 16) In these sentences from within the story, the exact details of parts of a car are being mentioned as well as the actions the characters are committing to these objects. As with detail, another strategy that Steinbeck uses to bring the reader closer to the action is repetition. Repetition is used in a couple parts of the story within paragraphs to make an emotion or scene stand out in a page. One such example in the story is: “Listen to the motor. Listen to the wheels. Listen with your ears and with your hands on the steering wheel; listen with the palm of your hand on the gear-shift lever; listen with your feet on the floor boards. Listen to the pounding old jalopy with all your senses, for a change of tone, a variation of rhythm may mean—a week here?” (Steinbeck Ch 12). Phrases like “Listen to...” are repeated throughout this sentence and are used to create a mood of almost “desperation.” Repetition and attention to detail are two strategies that Steinbeck uses in this novel to