The Grapes Of Wrath Ma Joad Character Analysis

“…seems to be the glue that holds this family together” (Hams 1). Through the journey to California, there are many struggles faced along the way but she retained her composure and remained calm just to appear strong for the family. “She seemed to know, to accept, to welcome her position, the citadel of the family, the strong place that could not be taken” (100). The position Ma is in is not effortless. She puts in a great deal of effort to remain the rock of the family, even though she has lost her many possessions. Without her, there wouldn’t be a Joad family.

At the beginning of the novel, Tom Joad has been paroled from prison after serving time for killing a neighbor in a drunken bar fight. Tom is stabbed, and because of this, he feels he was merely defending himself from being killed. He feels no guilt over killing his neighbor and would do it again under the same conditions, to preserve his life. Tom's morals and beliefs justified the killing. These morals were taught to Tom by his family, and he believes very strongly in those beliefs. "I'd do what I done—again," said Joad. "I killed a guy in a fight. We was drunk at a dance. He got a knife in me, an' I killed him with a shovel that was layin' there. Knocked his head plumb to squash." Casy's eyebrows resumed their normal level. "You ain't ashamed of nothin' then?" "No," said Joad, "I ain't. I got seven years, account of he had a knife in me. Got out in four—parole." (Steinbeck 18)

“At the heart of every immigrant’s experience is a dream- a vision of hope that is embodied in his or her destination” (Gladstein 685). In the novel, The Grapes of Wrath the migrants imagined the absolute aspects of living care free to the west. However, everything changed once they traveled to the west, realizing the simple concept turned into hazardous problems. John Steinback emphasized the American dream of economic stability and truculent situations towards the Joads family's point of view. Throughout the immigration, the Joads family goes through constant and unpredictable changes in employment, and their eventual failure to find success in California. The novel has been called by critics "a celebration of the human spirit", in several ways it is true due to the aspects of human nature. Despite the hazardous actions people can do, it is important to realize everything around us.

Many characters stood out during the story yet none ever broke the established family hierarchy except for Ma Joad. Ma did not completely break the family structure instead it was more akin to a momentary shift of power. The first time Ma demonstrates any form of power is during a meeting to see whether Jim Casy can go with the Joads to California. During said meeting, although Ma had no real power her “tone” was able to make Pa “ashamed” (Steinbeck 130). This on its did not show power instead it showed Ma’s influence on Pa when dealing with family affairs since her opinion was just as important. Later on in the story, Ma would take a more active role in family affairs. Not only did Ma become more active in order to keep the family together but she also took Pa’s power when she said: “I ain’t a-gonna go” which left Pa “amazed at the revolt” (Steinbeck 185). During this incident, Ma for the first time disobeyed not just Pa but the whole family and took command in order to keep the family from separating even a little. From this point forward Ma is essentially the Patriarch of the family taking over her husband's role as the head of the family.

To quote Ma Joad in the film The Grapes of Wrath, “I ain 't never gonna be scared no more. I was, though. For a while it looked as though we was beat. Good and beat. Looked like we didn 't have nobody in the whole wide world but enemies. Like nobody was friendly no more. Made me feel kinda bad and scared too, like we was lost and nobody cared....Rich fellas come up and they die, and their kids ain’t no good and they die out. But we keep a comin’, we’re the people that live. They can’t wipe us out; they can’t lick us. We’ll go on forever Pa, ‘cause we’re the people.” This statement captures the resilience of the American working class since the birth of the country. Ma 's speech can be read as a proclamation of necessary fictions to bolster the morale of the family. She is the uncomplaining maintainer of status quo in the home, the ultimate mother figure who not only attends to physical needs, but mental needs as well.

The Grapes of Wrath was a depiction of life in the Great Depression, specifically in the areas the Dust Bowl affected. The Joad family represents the “Okies”, which were people who went west looking for jobs. They also showcase the unfortunate events that happened to millions of people during the Great Depression. The Joad’s land was taken away/plowed over by superintendent and the land agents. After the destruction of their home and land they head west, to California, in search of jobs. With the Californians only using the Okies for cheap labor and giving them poor living conditions, they didn’t receive the best reputation. The Californians were rude to the Okies and treating them how they did is because the Okies were taking their jobs and

outside a work camp in the midst of a strike. There Jim Casy tells Tom that the

Occasionally when the Joads and company are not motivated to do something Ma will step up and take control of the group, even though that is Pa’s role. In one case she grabbed a jackhammer, and “the eyes of the whole family shifted back to Ma. She was the power. She had taken control” (169). Although Ma taking power like this is frightening to the Joads, it is the only way that the Joads are able to make it to California together. In this case Ma is opposing moving on, but the words of the group encourage Ma to look at the other side and she later

Sometimes in crisis people show their true colours. In John Steinbeck's novel turned movie “The Grapes of Wrath”, the Joad family was forced from their home in Oklahoma and have to move in california in search of work. They face many trials and tribulations along the way. Ma Joad stays strong throughout the story, trying to hold her family together through the difficult times.In the movie “Grapes of wrath” Ma Joad is the backbone of the family and provides the family with support, healing, and leadership.

Although this book may a fiction work, it still hold a great deal of the mood of the 1930’s. The Americans of this time period were going through a huge economic depression. Most people were out of work and extremely poor. Food was scarce and homes were even harder to find. Many people lived in Hoovervilles made of tarp and tin. This book goes through the life of one family through their troubles. Although the family is made up, this would represent the untold struggles of thousands of American families.

The character I have chosen to analyze is Ma Joad from The Grapes of wrath. Through the novel, the Joad family faces a treacherous and long journey from Oklahoma to California. Throughout this journey, people die, families fall apart, and spirits are crushed. However, through all that, there is one person who has pledged her life to keeping her family safe and together; that person is Ma Joad. Ma Joad is a forceful, devoted, and selfless leader; she may not start the story in charge, but as the journey progresses, she does what it takes to keep her family safe.

Life in Oklahoma throughout the dustbowl, early 1930’s, posted as a major struggle. The Joad family faced many obstacles such as drought, dust storms, and a ruthless 2000 mile journey to California; however, the Joads pushed through the hardships and loss presented. John Steinbeck uses this unity presented by the Joads to illustrate how the family is always looking forward throughout anything thrown their way.

The life of that was lived during the period of the Great Depression was unimaginably

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.

In the Grapes of Wrath, Pa begins as the established leader of the Joad family. What he says goes. As the thought of leaving Oklahoma becomes reality, Ma takes on a bigger leadership capacity in the household's decision-making. At first, the dominant personalities collide, and the family faces a hostile situation.