Hope In John Steinbeck's The Grapes Of Wrath

Improved Essays
Hope enables people to get through difficult times. In John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, the Joad family is forced to leave their home in Oklahoma and move west to California in the hopes of finding work. Throughout their journey to California, the Joads are faced with many obstacles and are forced to make tough decisions along the way. The hope for a better life in California and the promise of the new baby in the family allows the Joads to overcome these hardships. During their entire journey to California, the Joad family hoped that it would be much better there than it was in Oklahoma. They had read handbills that described what it was like in California and Ma Joad said, “But I like to think how nice its gonna be, maybe, in California.

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    In the 1930’s there was a great drought that affected the Great Plains. This includes regions such as Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Colorado, and New Mexico. Since, the soil in this region lacked a strong root system it became prone to dust storms. Unfortunately, this event caused many Sharecroppers to lose their jobs and most importantly their homes. John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath was awarded the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize for it’s realistic representation of a migrate family being directly affected by the Dust Bowl.…

    • 1940 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Grapes Of Wrath Analysis

    • 490 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Liam Eichenberg 10/15/2015 Mr.Lauer MA Some can argue the mother of a family controls there family John steinbecks novel “The Grapes of wrath” portrays several unique characters that resemble strength and the drive to find a better life. . On their gruling journey across the united states the joads begin to find out who has what it takes to make it there. The weak slowly die off and strong stay along for the ride to greater lands. From the beging till the end Ma Joad has taken control of this family.…

    • 490 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    TThematic Connection: One theme that can be supported by this passage is physical strength is never enough. Even though Elie and his family were warned about the Hungarian Police coming they weren't prepared. They were physically prepared very well. They had all belongings they needed and hide all of their personal possessions, but they forgot to mentally prepare. When leaving a place that's been you home forever and just being pulled out of it you need to mentally prepare and have the strength to control your emotions and that is something not many people prepared for but realized not to short after they left that they should have.…

    • 271 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the Grapes of Wrath, the motivations of Preacher Casey, Tom Joad, Pa, and Ma change throughout the movie and represent the sentiments of Americans during the 1930s. During this time period the economy was on the verge of collapse for a series of years and after the stock market crash in 1929, the nation officially entered an economic depression leaving many workers jobless and hundreds of families penniless. Previously, many inexperienced farmers had travelled west looking to make a profit off of their own labor. The great migration movement was partially caused by the idealization of the west fueled by Jackson Turner’s Frontier Thesis and the devastating conditions and economic status of many eastern workers. However, most of the families that migrated west were inexperienced so farm land was not treated correctly.…

    • 572 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Empathy through Kinship In Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, the clerk’s charity reveals the power of understanding in a community. While rude and shameful at first, sarcastically declaring, “then go git ‘em in town” (375), the store clerk soon recognizes that his futile comments add to the struggles of the already dilemma-ridden families. Ma’s questioning of the shop’s ownership leads the clerk to contemplate his own situation, finally displaying the uncanny similarities between the customers whom he mocks and himself. The clerk’s own self-preservation and worry, “I can’t do it…I’d get in trouble” (376), accounts for his condescending attitude that he develops under the strict regulation of the store manager. This understanding that they both…

    • 199 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Utilizing Ma’s character development, Steinbeck illustrates the main theme of loss in The Grapes of Wrath. At first, especially on page 231, Ma is distraught over her family attempting to break up, crying that they have “a long bitter road ahead” and “all we got is the family unbroke.” Nevertheless, as she suffers through more losses, Ma abandons her familial ideals. For example, Noah leaves on page 294, and Ma endures the situation. In the end, the hostility leaves entirely when Tom becomes a criminal again, and Ma accepts that he needs to hide away from the family: she even gives Tom a sum of money so he can escape California.…

    • 148 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Grapes of Wrath undoubtedly demonstrated the conflicts that American families endured on their journey from the Dust Bowl to California. This novel was written by John Steinbeck, a novelist and writer who witnessed the discrimination farmers had to tolerate on their migration to California. This gruesome journey caused misery, agony, regret among various families. Still, a majority of these families clung onto something crucial: their religion. The families prayed to God for their prosperity in finding a job in California; though their efforts were futile.…

    • 1538 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “We must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope”, a quote said by Martin Luther King Jr. During the 1930’s many people traveled from the midwest to California in the hopes of finding a better life but they faced many obstacles, but in order to survive they can’t lose hope in what they were trying to achieve. In the novel “The Grapes Of Wrath” written by John Steinbeck the effects of fear causes people to believe that there is no way of successfulness in their work of farming. The ragged man’s experiences of California make the men fear that they will end up in situations such as his own. While sitting on the porch of the camp owner a group of men including Tom and Pa Joad, a man, described as ragged, explained that in California his life was difficult, it “ took two kids dead, took my wife dead to show me. But i cant tell ya little fellas layin’ in the tent with their bellies puffed out an’ jus’ skin on their bones” (260).…

    • 738 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    United They Stood: Unity in The Grapes of Wrath In John Steinbeck’s novel, The Grapes of Wrath, characters such as Tom Joad, Ma Joad and Rose of Sharon are used to display the unity among people during the great depression and the dustbowl. The story mainly focuses on the Joad family as they move out west in an attempt to create a better life. After being forced out of their home and off their land, the Joad’s only option is to pack up the little they have left and drive to California, looking for work and supporting the family on the way. All of the characters have a hand in uniting people on the journey, but the most significant are Tom, Ma and Rose of Sharon.…

    • 1920 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    To human beings, control is the one thing they will never have, but will always desire. Control plays a prominent theme in Chapter Five of “The Grapes of Wrath”, written by John Steinbeck. This novel paints a picture of life during the time of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression, illuminating on the struggles and perseverance of the migrants families in the Southwest. In Chapter Five, the readers learn about how the families were told they were being forced to leave by “the monster” and how they were helpless to its every whim. The main theme of the chapter is control; the ones in control, the lack of control, and the need for control.…

    • 1015 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Sacrifice John Ford’s inspiring film, Grapes of Wrath, pulls at the heartstrings of viewers. The film tells the story of the Joad family and their struggle to find work during the depression. The story begins with Tom Joad, the eldest son of the Joad family, finding that his family has been evicted from their home during the Oklahoma Dust Bowl and set out for California along with thousands of others in search of jobs, land, and hopes for a brighter future. Ford uses the story of the Joad family to convey the theme that the need of the many outweighs the needs of one. Ford uses Ma Joad, Tom Joad and Jim Casey to exemplify the need for supportive rather than individualistic ideals during rough times.…

    • 1016 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Many people in the same situation as the Joads would likely not be so generous and trusting. Certainly many would like to think they would, but they would be concerned with helping themselves and their own families before anyone else. There would be moments where people would come together to help each other, but not in such a way that it would be a widespread ease on the depression. Steinbeck does take a realistic approach to it; there are people who resent the Joads’ help. One instance is how the mother of one of the children Ma Joad fed at the camp.…

    • 1012 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Imagine 150,00 square-miles devastated by drought. Little rain, light soil, and high winds made for a destructive combination. Imagine watching your husband fight with the bank’s hired thugs because you can’t pay the mortgage on your devastated farm. Imagine being m scared because your husband always knows what to do, and in this moment you can see uncertainty in his eyes. The Grapes of Wrath is a story the depicts the loss of humanity that comes when people are robbed of their power and ability to act independently in society.…

    • 1043 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The whole novel teaches a lesson. When going through hard times, family is everything, they are the ones who will stick up for you no matter what and it is important to stay together. John Steinbeck does a well job describing the common core of social injustice to do what is right and to not let the society take away faith and what is most important in this harsh world…

    • 1304 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Transcending Biology Jim Casy’s growing understanding of humanity throughout The Grapes of Wrath illustrated the novel’s greater theme that kindness is a very powerful force. After initially mourning the fact that he grew more distant from tradition, Casy became firm in his new beliefs. He believed that people should act for the betterment of humanity, a family much older and greater than any single person. Later on, Casy put his beliefs to practice by sacrificing himself for the sake of others.…

    • 485 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays