What Was the Family Searching for in the Grapes of Wrath
Themes are beliefs, ideas, and philosophical concepts that the writers share with their readers through their literary works. John Steinbeck has also discussed various themes in his novel, The Grapes of Wrath. Various themes of The Grapes of Wrath are relevant even today. Some of the major themes have been given below.
Themes in The Grapes of Wrath
Theme #ane
Ravages of Industrialization
Ravages and devastations wreaked by fast and heavy industrialization in America in the 1930s. Information technology also impacted the farming community severely. The Joads suffer badly in this double onslaught from nature besides every bit from industrialization. This led to a change in their means of living and forced them to motion to California. With deportation comes a shift in gender roles and responsibilities as various tenant families confront hardships during migration from Oklahoma to California. The Joad family, likewise, faces the same hardships equally Pa Joad becomes most invalid, leaving Ma Joad to take hold of the family unit unity and Tom Joad to have the leadership function. It also leads them to suffer hunger, deaths, and threats of the uncertain futurity.
Theme #2
Corporate Greed
The theme of corporate greed goes parallel to the theme of industrialization. It is because the corporate culture created huge greed among the backer agricultural industry. The landless farmers were displaced past the machinery produced past the corporate culture. The Joads were forced to migrate to some other lands in search livelihood. The philosophy of Casy for humanity is the product of such a greedy culture of profiteering. This, like industrialization, transformed gender roles too. This too leads to confrontation between the police force enforcing agencies as Tom confronts the cop at the Colorado River. This greed leads to the inhumanity that Steinbeck had constantly pointed out when using tractors started making tenants landless and hopeless.
Theme #3
Homo'southward Beloved for Land
Tom Joad and his family unit have been forced to get out Oklahoma because of the drought. This forced migration from their lands proves disastrous for them. Steinbeck's philosophy is that if a piece of state does not support a family tilling it, it is not worth the praise. The state gives people independence. Pa Joad'southward loss of his role as a head of the family owes very much to his loss of state. Casy'due south philosophy of humanity, too, is connected to the ownership of the land where people are contained. Therefore, the novel depicts homo's love for the holding as the Joads leave the place; they do not leave humanity.
Theme #four
Shifting Gender Roles
The shifting of the economic structure is responsible for the shifting of gender roles. It seems that the patriarchal structure crumbled due to migration resulting from natural disaster and industrialization. Ma Joad takes the leading role but very briefly, and Tom again leads the family from Oklahoma to California. The shifting of the family witnesses Pa Joad'southward diminishing character and Ma Joad'south increasing leadership. She asserts her ability to proceed the family united when Tom and Pa both propose that the family should carve up. Ma Joad disagrees and takes the leading role. Her rebellion agrees with the feminine spirit of keeping the family united and also shifts the responsibleness to the patriarchal structure when the situation improves. Tom becomes the caput of the family once they achieve California. The grapheme of Rose of Sharon, too, transforms to assist others, though she was quite immature at get-go
Theme #five
Death and Suffering
Living during the challenging climatic conditions, the Joads face become landless and homeless; they as well face deaths during migration. The commencement death is of the Grampa Joad, followed by Granma who dies when the caravan of the migrants reach California. It is considering of the difficulties and hardships that they face during the journey. Without having annihilation to eat, the Joads acquit on with whatsoever they have until 1 of them likewise leaves the family unit life simply for water. Even Rose of Sharon suffers from this long journeying and shows her humanity to save others from decease when she offers her milk to a dying human being.
Theme #6
Common Experience
Through the experience of becoming landless and poor, the Joads reflect the state of affairs of the entire tenant community of Oklahoma. This feel of an uprooted life afterward living on the fertile lands leave the Joads distraught. The mass exodus of the families from Oklahoma toward California suffering from hunger and thirst on the way also reflects the collective experience. Although the novel has non shown many deaths and sufferings of all, they are still some of the common experiences all the migrants had gone through.
Theme #7
Power of Family
A potent family arrangement gives nascency to a stiff social organisation. The Joads represents families of the migrant workers who have to face up the wrath of the modernization and industrialization of agronomical farming. The novel highlights it through the Joads' relationships, their delivery, and loyalty to one another. That is why Tom and the family unit mourn those who leave them on the way to California. This is also the very reason that Tom is impacted by Casy's aspirations and joins the movement past the end. Rose of Sharon'due south act of offering her breastmilk to a dying man is also a symbol of a strong social bail.
Theme #viii
Office of Hope in Gild
Hope plays an important role in a social set up. The persons who stay hopeful fifty-fifty in desperation keep their heads high like Tom. When the Joads travel to California after they are sent abroad from Oklahoma, anybody faces uncertainty. However, when they discuss their futurity and hope to find a better place, information technology plays an essential role in lifting their suppressed spirits. Tom'south belief that they are on the manner to a better life gives promise to other family unit members. Ma's dream of having a home and Rose of Sharon'due south hope of having a moving-picture show theatre at the new place are some signs of optimism during the time of hopelessness.
Theme #9
Wrath
Although the circumstances for the Joads become very desperate and challenging, their furious refusal to bow shows the anger of farming laborers. They have suffered losses after losses, which include deaths of family unit members equally well as finances. Noah and Connie take left the family unit, while Grampa and Granma died. Nevertheless, stiff resistance and wrath stay with the family against injustice and cruelty. That is why Tom rises against information technology, facing the cop when the moment comes. Wrath is shown in the last affiliate, where women see their husbands working and turning their fear into anger. Here, wrath has been projected every bit a positive trait.
Theme #10
Altruism and Selfishness
Even though selfishness appears like an evil lurking behind the fiscal crisis, it transforms into altruism by the terminate when Tom acts upon Casy's teachings to piece of work for the entire community. The journey of Tom from a selfish fellow to a person with the desire to help his community is a journey from selfishness to altruism.
Source: https://literarydevices.net/the-grapes-of-wrath-themes/
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