Essay On Ma's Relationship In The Grapes Of Wrath

The Grapes of Wrath, a novel written by John Steinbeck in 1939, captures the journey of the Joad family after they are forced from their home in Oklahoma and travel to California to find a better life. The Grapes of Wrath gained popularity after Steinbeck won a Nobel Prize in 1962. The journey begins when Tom Joad get released from prison and travels home to find his family in poverty. Even though the novel uses to Tom as the main character, the real story of desperation and hardship is seen through Ma. Ma becomes one of the central characters in The Grapes of Wrath as she soon becomes the main leader of the family. Steinbeck describes her as “heavy, but not fat,” also having “steel-colored hair” (p.80). He also described her as having a “full face [that] was not soft; it was controlled, kindly” (p. 80).She knows right away that going to California is a bad idea and she says “I’m scared of stuff so nice. I ain’t got faith. I’m scared somepin ain’t so nice about it” (p. 92) Even though she knows this, her primary obligation is to take care of her family because she is the leader and the rest of her family looks at her to see how she reacts to different situations. If she doesn’t show …show more content…
Throughout the journey the gender roles become broken down and Ma becomes the leader of the family. She continues to hold her her emotions so nobody will get upset and nurses both grandparents until they die. When she is with Granma in her final moments, she doesn’t tell the rest of her family that she has passed. Instead she waits until they are getting closer to their destination. This is what Ma’s Pa used to say to her: “Anybody can break down. It takes man not to” (p. 213). This is a true example of Ma starting to become the head of the family. She treats her emotions like she is a man and keeps them in. She does this out of the love for her family and to keep her family