Abstract Ma Joad is one of the main characters in Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath". This paper explores her strengths, her personality and the relationship she has with the other characters in the novel.
From the Paper "We already know, then, that she loves her family passionately, and will stand by them loyally, and we know that she thinks violence is sometimes justified. Shortly after Tom comes home from prison, the family has to leave their farm. They have decided to move to California and try to get work as migrant farm hands. Both on the trip and once they have arrived in California, Ma Joad continues to show her great strength and fierce loyalty. "
Abstract 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 rest"d get upset if I done any more"n that. They all depen? on me jus? thinkin? about that.? (Steinbeck, p. 159)"
Tags: altruistic, nature, jim, casy, california, tom, al, generosity, wilsons, hooverville, children
Abstract This paper discusses the emergence of the "I to we" theme in "The Grapes of Wrath" and the understanding arrived at by the main characters in the book that the dust bowl catastrophe that has forced them from their land is not just about them, but about everyone. The paper explains that this is the prevailing theme in the book and looks at how it is developed in both the inter-chapters and the plot chapters.
From the Paper "Several of the chapters in the novel, about every other chapter, in fact, are not about the Joads themselves, but rather, about the westward migration of people in general, and many other people like the Joads, in their same situation. The "I" versus the "we" in The Grapes of Wrath specifically, how the Joad family along the way becomes less self-centered, less insular in its preoccupations and concerns, and more cognizant of the welfare of others, than when they first set out for California, is reinforced by these more general chapters, about land conditions and problems for migrant workers in general, rather than only about the Joads."
