Theme Of Sacrifice In The Grapes Of Wrath

The definition of sacrifice is an act of giving up something of value for the good of something else. John Steinbeck often uses the theme of sacrifice in his novels; The Grapes of Wrath is no different. Often times Steinbeck describes the migrant workers sharing and working together to survive. Throughout the narrative multiple characters find themselves in situations where they must push aside their personal feelings for the groups well being. Characters like Ma Joad, Jim Casey, and Rose of Sharon are characters that all make sacrifices for the betterment of the group. The idea of sacrificing one’s happiness for the benefit of others is the key idea that John Steinbeck described in The Grapes of Wrath, and the theme of sacrifice is critical in getting that message across. …show more content…
From the moment she is introduced she is described as the foundation of the family. “She seemed to know, to accept, to welcome her position, the citadel of the family (…) and the children could not know hurt of fear unless she acknowledged hurt and gear, she had practiced denying them in herself,” (Steinbeck 95). Ma sacrifices her comfort countless times. She lied with Granma’s dead body for countless hours in order to get across the California boarder safely, and she spared the little food she had with the starving children in Hooverville. She pushed aside all of her feelings and led the family through their countless trials and tribulations when the men of the family refused to step up. Her selfless sacrifice is what makes her the heroine in The Grapes of Wrath and is what keeps the Joad family