John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath"

Paper Summary:

This paper demonstrates that Steinbeck uses Ma Joad as a vehicle to expose the pitfalls of a patriarchal society and expound on the desirability of a society that practices the feminine principle of caring for others.

From the Paper:

"The perception that marriage and family were, indeed, the right vocation for women is reflected in Steinbeck's principal female characters as well. For instance, Ma Joad's eldest daughter, Rose of Sharon, is depicted as a woman who seems to have no interests apart from her family, as evidenced by her expending all her energies on protecting her unborn child. Similarly, Ma Joad clearly believes that her life's purpose is to keep her family together: "that's all I can do. I can't do no more. And the rested get upset if I done any more in that. They all depend on me just thinking about that". (Steinbeck, p. 159)"

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