Ma Joad In John Steinbeck's Grapes Of Wrath

It took Tom Joad being disconnected from society to finally realize the point of his being. His view on life changed forever; into one that effectively displays a grand meaning of the entirety of The Grapes of Wrath. Away from his family and the harsh outside world due to his need to hide, Tom finally had the time to piece together everything he had learned from Casy subconsciously. After doing so and sharing his epiphany with Ma, Tom completely finished maturing his mentality.

The Dust Bowl brought upon grueling times to the hard-working farmers of the Southern United States. As shown in John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, everybody was changed due to the horrid conditions of the time, especially the migrants. One character who changed throughout the course of the novel, was Ma. At the beginning of the book, Ma was a quiet mother who cooked and cared for the Joads, and was there to fall back on to help and judge tough situations. Near the end of the novel, Ma transforms into the head of the family, making decisions, and keeping the family from splitting.

Through the roughest times in life, we come across crises that reveal the true character in those around us. Those who are strong are divided from the weak and the followers divide from the leaders. In the novel, The Grapes of Wrath, author John Steinbeck presents the character Ma Joad who serves an important role as the rock that keeps the family together. The Joad family, apart from many families in Oklahoma, is forced to leave their homes in search of work and better opportunities; California not only leaves them in poverty but despair. But through it all Ma Joad is the leader of the family that exhibits selflessness in order to protect and secure her family.

Ma is shown to be a strong woman right from the start. Her first description goes like this, “heavy, but not fat; thick with bearing and work… Strong, freckled arms were bare to the elbow, and her hands were chubby and delicate…. her full face was not soft; it was controlled, kindly… the citadel of the family, the strong place that could not be taken.”(Pg. 74) Ma is demonstrated as a strong women figure but even with the little power that she holds she does not take the initiative to take over until things yet rough. Ma’s first initiative to take over is when she challenges pa’s authority as the family leader. She refuses to let her family separate and take different paths. She speaks like a “men” and talks about using violence to get her point across. Ma says to pa, “I’ll knock you bell-up with a bucket. I swear to Holy Jesus’ sake I will.”(Pg. 169) Ma revolts not only to pa but also to gender roles and the unfair roles that women are given. This is the turning point for the leadership of the Joads family. An important idea to keep in mind is

Her dignity is shown because she grows to appreciate everyone as much as she had with her family in the beginning. Throughout The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck highlights Ma Joad’s dignity through her bold actions.

In John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, Tom Joad is the protagonist. After serving four years in jail for murder, he is finally out on parole. When Tom is first introduced, he is portrayed as a negative character. Tom is stubborn and likes things to go his way. In the beginning of the novel Tom lives his life day by day, the future does concern him. Throughout the novel Tom develops from a man only interested in his own independent personal needs and desires to someone who is devoted to his family, and is willing to sacrifice his own personal comfort for their benefit. By the end of the novel Tom Joad transformed from a negative character into a positive character who cares about the future of his nation and the families that are

A clear concept in John Steinbeck's The Grapes Of Wrath was the way families were run. At the beginning of the twentieth century, men led the family. They made the decisions and they made the money for the family while the women worked behind the scenes and kept everything going. What the men did not realize, or did not want to recognize, was that the women were the ones who were really in control. Though they did not take credit for it, they were the ones who bought and cooked the food the men ate, bore and reared the children the men helped create, and did everything they could to make a better life for themselves and their families. This changed once the Dust Bowl struck. Soon after, women took charge of the family affairs and slid

Do the needs of an individual family or group supersede the needs of the many? In The Grapes of Wrath written by the John Steinbeck, the readers see the strength that is needed to be a mother when outside forces rip a family apart. Ma Joad is the living representation of strength given her unique role in the family. Ma took an almost patriarchal role in the family and demonstrated that she was unique among other characters due to her strength, love, and family power.

For instance, Rex Walls has a drinking problem and constantly harms his family from fighting his wife to using money on unnecessary items compared to the need for clothes and food. The family concludes that they have to stick together except for Jeannette and Lori, who have prearranged a plan to move to New York City based on a suggestion given to Lori from a filmmaker. “I decided I wanted to go there, too, and that winter we came up with a plan. Lori would leave by herself for New York in June, after she graduated. She’d settle in, find a place for us, and I’d follow her as soon as I could,” (Walls 223). Even though the two sisters decide to move away, they remain with each other so they are not alone. Ma Joad in The Grapes of Wrath is a central figure in which the Joad family revolves around. The way she presents herself and takes control of her emotions and handles them with pride on behalf of her and her family, shows the power she has to keep a family together. “She seemed to know, to accept, to welcome her position, the citadel of

Ma Joad, the mother of the Joad family, was made known as “the citadel of the family”, proving to be the more adequate provider as the novel progressed, and handled every hindrance soundly. She remains this way, so her family does not fall apart like others had anticipated. When first meeting Ma Joad in the start of the novel, she was a strong-willed woman, as was she at the end of the novel. For her headstrong personality, Ma Joad served as the rock for her family.

Her main obligation to the family is to provide the Joad’s with nourishment, comfort, healing, love, and support. Each of the times when the Joad’s go through a rough patch, Ma steps a little higher on the leadership ladder of the family. Every attack on the family or the morals of the family Ma gradually takes over the role of Pa. Later in the book, the Wilson’s book has a malfunction and the rest of the clan suggests splitting up but Mrs. Joad refuses to leave them. She picks up the jackhammer and threatens the rest of the Joad’s and the Wilson’s. At this moment in the book, Ma goes against the normal feminine responsibilities and morals and yells at the women and the men. This changes the personality of

In “The Grapes of Wrath” Ma Joad exhibits excellent support during the suffering of her family. Ma knows that she has to stay calm and help help her family survive the trying times.Ma handles all of the insane events with a cool collected mind while trying to keep everyone together. She knows that her family risked collapsing if she can’t keep her composure. So if Ma acts as though everything is alright than her family will follow suit. While other members of

In the novel The Grapes of Wrath, written by John Steinbeck, it’s about a small family from Oklahoma in the late 1930’s, they are referred to the Joads throughout the novel. The reader follows along with this family from Oklahoma to the state of California for their search of jobs for the family. The Joads runs into many conflicts throughout their journey and some of these dealing with the concepts of integrity and honesty which are seen constantly in the novel.

“All we got is the family unbroke. Like a bunch a cows, when the lobos are ranging, stick all together. I ain’t scared while we’re all here… (Steinbeck, 170)”. Ma Joad’s strong will to keep the family together displays her belief that they were stronger as a unit rather than

In Steinbeck's novel, The Grapes of Wrath, he describes the struggle of the small farmer and farmworker. The principal characters define quiet dignity and courage in their struggle to survive and in the caring for their loved ones. Through this novel, Steinbeck displays his respect for all the poor and oppressed of our world.