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Grapes of Wrath4

Grapes of Wrath4 In John Steinback’s masterpiece novel, The Grapes of Wrath, the novelist uses Ma as the loving, caring, and physical backbone of the family. She is the prime example of the novel’s theme: in order for survival to be successful, people must join together and form a "we" environment as oppose to an "I" environment. Her strength that she instills throughout the novel, her leadership role that she has to help keep the family together, and her love she nourishes to her family shows the readers the true meaning of Ma as Steinback expresses her. Her outstanding characteristic is the essential need for the family’s unity. As the emotional and physical backbone of the Joad family, Ma demonstrates her leadership skills throughout the journey to California. There were many situations in the story, in which, the family began to drift apart and Ma would shift to a position of active leadership. Ironically, the father is usually the head of the family, but as the days continue in the long journey to California, Ma develops into the role of the father. Some situations in which Ma shows her leadership role is when they are camped at the Colorado River, she wields a skillet when confronting an officer who orders the family to leave. "Ma’s face blackened with anger. She got slowly to her feet. She stooped to the utensil box and picked out the iron skillet." Another situation, where Ma’s control is used, is when they are traveling and Rose of Sharon talk’s about living with Connie in a town. "Well, we talked all about it, me an’ Connie. Ma, we wanna live in a town." After hearing her story, Ma became in a state of shock, proclaiming "We don’ want you to go ‘way from us. It ain’t good for folks to break up." Ma demonstrates her leadership and love by telling Rose of Sharon that she should stay with the family and not go off with Connie and begin a new life. Although Ma is seen as a leader, it does not mean she is motivated to be one. Her primary desire is to continue nurturing the family and keeping it together. "Twenty families became one family, the group was welded to one thing." Ma’s primary responsibility is to take care of her family and to provide them food, upraise, support, and love. She is the center of the family, and with that responsibility, she must exhibit her love to the family. Her love is best shown in chapter eighteen, where the family begins to crumble. Her strength to pull the family together comes from her love. She is the definition of Jim Casy’s idea of love, "For if they fall, one will lif’ up his fellow, but woe to him that is alone when he falleth for he hath not another to help him up." These powerful words, spoken by Casy, prove that in order to survive, the family must unite as one by helping each other through love. Ma follows through with the statement through many examples in the story. One prime example would be when Ma is talking with Tom in the cave, "well, they liable to get men out to look, jus’ in case. Tom, you got to go away." Ma knows that sooner or later Tom will be found and killed. Although she does not want to see her son leave, her love for him and the family are so great that she must sacrifice greatly. "I-sent ‘im away. Far off." Ma shows her strong character when she loses both her parents, and still finds the energy to help the family move on. The death of the father came first, which hurt Ma, but she needed to be strong and continue through the trip to California. The second death was Grandma. "I wuas afriad we wouldn’ he’p her. The fambly had ta get acrost. I tol’ her, tol’ her when she was a-dyin’. We coudln’ stop in the desert. There was the young ones- an’ Rosasharn’s baby. I tol’ her." As Ma’s mother, the death of her took a great toll on her. But her strength allowed her to overcome the death and help the family’s unity. Bibliography:

Word Count: 702