4th period

Set of Minimum Standard Essays

United We Stand, Divided We Fall
“A house divided against itself cannot stand.” This statement was first used by Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. The northern and southern states were becoming separate, divorcing themselves from each other, and the country fell apart. Throughout history division can be seen as a stumbling block. This threat of division is what drove the westward movement of the Joads and thousands of other families traveling to California.
The Dust Bowl of the 1930s bought fear and destruction to families living in the mid-west. The families, that had been held together by a love for the land lots their livelihood. There was a strong tie to these lands as their ancestors had lost their lives in securing the land from the Indians. Many elderly refused to give up even when all their crops had been destroyed. The Joads, like thousands of families, lived on the land as sharecroppers. Sharecroppers did not own the land, they simply ‘rented’ the land from the banks. In doing this the families could afford to feed their families with the crops they produced and sell the remainder for profit. This method of tilling the land worked out for a while, but once the big banks realized one tractor could do the work of several farms, the idea of sharecropping no longer made sense. After the banks hired men to run the tractors, they ran the sharecroppers off the land. Thousands of families, like the Joads, were now homeless. With little food or money, the families packed up and headed for California, hoping to start a better life.
From the very beginning, the Joads attempted to keep their family together; at all costs. When Grandpa Joad was adamant about not leaving Oklahoma, the Joads drug him with cough syrup and carried him into the truck. More than once the family had to resolve to violence in order to keep everyone together. After Uncle John got drunk at the Hooverville, he resolved the family would be better off without him so he ran off. Tom chased after him, knocked him out, and drug him back to the tent. The Joad’s knew, especially Ma, that the only means of survival would be to stick together.
Uniting together was essential for the Joads’ survival, even with those outside their family. Before leaving for California, the Joads decide to bring along the retired preacher, Jim Casey. Casey proves to be essential to the Joads in supplying an extra helping hand and also spiritual support when grandpa dies. The Joads also unite with the Wilson family after discovering their broken down truck on the side of the road. The two families become friends after Grandpa Joad has a stroke and dies in the Wilson’s tent. In thanks to the Wilsons for their hospitality. Al and Tom Joad agree to repair the Wilson truck. In doing so, the Joads now have another vehicle to help carry them towards California. “We got an overload, but Mr. An’ Mis’ Wilson ain’t. If some of us folks could ride with then an’ take some a their light stuff in the truck…We’d keep together on the road an’ it’d be good for ever’body” (202.) So Al, Rose of Sharon, Connie, and Granma piled into the Wilson truck, and everyone else road in the Joad’s Hudson.
Another form of unity lies within all of the “Okies” living in California. They are all living with the same day to day struggles, which are easier to bear with another’s support. This is found in the Weedpatch camp where there is no hierarchy or police to deal with. This camp is democracy in it’s purest form, where any one can be a member of the government, “There’s 75 sanitary units. Each one elects a Central Committee man. Now that committee makes the laws. What they say goes”(391), and everyone looks out for one another, “Las’ week they was a baby borned an’ the whole camp give stuff for the baby-even give a baby buggy…an’ they give the baby a name, an’ had a cake” (419.) There is no division amongst any of the residents, and each does their part to keep the balance.
Throughout the novel, numerous accounts of uniting to get ahead are displayed. In a way, this is a contrast to the very thing America was founded on, Independence. From the beginning, this country prided themselves on being an independent nation; free from rule and monarchy. In our country, it is the individual that prospers. We have grown accustomed to fend for ourselves and allow natural selection to take its course. Many believe that the only person they can rely on is themselves, and accepting ‘charity’ and ‘handouts’ from others makes them “less of a man”. Sadly, this is the mentality that leads to self-destruction and ruin.
United We Stand, Divided We Fall. This is a motto of our country for a reason, it’s true. If the Joad family had not stood united through all of their trials and tribulations, they surely would have fallen apart. Grapes of Wrath is truly proof that, “Together Everyone Achieves More”. It is teamwork, not division, that keeps the Joads alive. Although the novel never reveals the outcome for Ma, Pa, Uncle John, Rose of Sharon, Tom, Al, Ruthie, and Winfield, I believe that if they stuck together, they survived.
Shift in Power
From the beginning of time, men have been seen as the head of household, leaving the women to reside in the shadows. Many still cling to the concept that man was created first, therefore, has dominion over his woman counterpart. Unsurprisingly, the men in Grapes of Wrath also hold the power. The men are the decision makers and bread winners, while the women tend to the home. All this changes in a rash but saving move by Ma Joad to take the reins from the men.
John Steinbeck presents the families in the Dust Bowl as patriarchal in the beginning of the book. He describes the women looking to their husbands for answers when destruction hits, “The women came out of their houses to stand beside their men-to feel whether this time the men would break”(6.) As the Joad family prepares to leave for California, it is the men who sit on their haunches and discuss what should be done, “Pa squatted there…Uncle John moved toward him and squatted down beside him…Granpa sat on the running board of the truck, facing them. That was the nucleus. Tom and Connie and Noah strolled in and squatted” (136.) Ma, Granma, and Rose of Sharon took their place behind the men. Already, the governing system has been established; first the men, and then the women. But, a great shift in power was just waiting to happen within the family; lurking in the folds of Ma Joads dress.
It’s hard to pick the precise time when the shift in power between Ma and Pa Joad actually happens. Perhaps it was Ma’s stubbornness or un-daunting spirit that brought about the change, or perhaps the men were just ‘tired out’ and Ma simply slipped into the leadership position; either way, it became quite obvious that Ma was in charge. Pa noted this several times throughout the story. While living at the Weedpatch camp Pa stated, “Seems like times is changed. Time was when a man said what we’d do. Seems like women is telling’ now. Seems like it’s purty near time to get out a stick.” Ma responds, “You get out your stick, Pa. Times when they’s food an’ a place to set, then maybe you can use your stick and’ keep your skin while. But you ain’t a-doin’ your job, either a-thinking’ or a-working’. If you was, why, you could use your stick” (481.) This was a true statement on Ma’s part, for it was the men’s job to “bring home the bacon” and the women’s job to cook it. Ma was doing her job, cooking and cleaning and caring for the family; it was the men who weren’t bringing home any money.
Pa’s stepping aside and Ma taking the leadership position was the thing that saved the family. Ma was the sole figure who had been strong from the beginning; everyone else had had thoughts of giving up and turning back, but she was the one who keep forging on. In some ways this is contradictory to the beginning statement that, “The women came out of their houses to stand beside their men-to feel whether this time the men would break”(6), for the Joad men were now looking towards Ma for strength; if she stayed strong, everything would be alright. She was their rock, their foundation.
Ups and Downs of Free Enterprise
Free enterprise: The freedom of private businesses to operate competitively for profit with minimal government regulation (www.dictionary.com). This system was used in Grapes of Wrath with the sharecroppers. This system had both benefits and disadvantages for the Joads.
Before the banks took away their land, the Joads, and all other families living as sharecroppers, had it made. The Joads had paid nothing for the land. Their forefathers had fought to take it from the Indians. When the Joads needed a house they just found a deserted one and drug it over to where they wanted to live, “Less somebody stole it, like Pa stole it. Got it a mile an’ a half east of here an’ drug it. Was a family livin’ there, an’ they moved away”. The Joads got the house and the land for free, and could live peacefully on their own land with out anyone bothering them.
Another advantage was these families could grow and sell their products at their own will. They kept the food they needed and sold the remainder. Operating this way, ensured that the families would be fed, no matter what. This system worked marvelously for years until the stock market crashed and the banks got greedy for more money. The banks no longer had a use for the sharecroppers, when a tractor could harvest the land for a low price.
One way that free enterprise hurt the Joads and all the other families that had escaped west, was there wasn’t any minimum wage. Therefore, the farmers could get by with paying outrageously low wages, “Well goddamn it, this morning you’re getting twenty-five cents an hour, and you take it or leave it” (402). The wages are regulated by the Farmers’ Association who claims that if the employer doesn’t give low wages, they will lose their farms. Some places you would work all day and come home with not barely enough money for food. This led to the starvation deaths of many, especially children, but the banks didn’t care.
Another way this system hurt the Joads was that there was no regulation on prices. For instance, at a peach orchard Ma goes to the store with a slip for a dollar and the prices are higher than they would be in the village. The store clerk responds to her complaint with, “Yes, it’s high, an’ same time it ain’t high. Time you go on to town for a couple poun’s of hamburg, it’ll cos’ you ‘bout a gallon gas. So you see it ain’t really high here, ‘cause you got no gallon a gas”(510). Stores could charge whatever price they wanted, there was no interference from the government to stop them.
Today we have minimum wages. This ensures that no employee is getting ripped off, and if they are, there are lawyers and courts that will settle the problem. There are laws against child labor and discrimination in the workplace. We have unions that can strike if their working conditions aren’t up to par or if they desire a higher paycheck. Today, it is the employer and the consumer that regulate prices. Our working conditions are much better than they were in the 1930’s, but there are no where near perfect.
There are still problems with our system. Children can still work long hours in agriculture as long as they are over 12 and not attending school. There is not a minimum wage for these farm workers, many who are illegal immigrants. There needs to be a louder voice for these people, and more awareness of what is truly going on before anything gets better. That is how any revival happens.
JIM CASEY: Christ, Communist, and Destabalized
The 1930s were troubling times. Liberal ideas that would have been ignored in more stable times, brought a sense of hope to those who were struggling. People were yearning for any idea that promised to make their lives better. Jim Casy, a retired preacher, was one of these people. Casy was very aware of the potential power in people. He knew that banning together was the ‘Okies’ only hope. His idea of communism appealed to many people. He could almost be viewed as a Christ like figure as he preached a new ‘promised land’. Others viewed him as a dangerous figure as he advocated a total change from capitalism to communism.
J.C. are the initials for Jim Casy, which are also the initials of Jesus Christ. Casy may have been seen as a Christ like figure to others around him. Although Casy was a retired preacher, many still looked to him for spiritual support, “Where at’s preacher? We oughta have a prayer”(196). Casy was like Christ in more than just his initials. He was constantly looking out for others; and, like Christ, he was punished for a crime he didn’t commit. Casy took the blame for tripping the deputy, when it was really Tom that did it. Christ was innocently hung on a cross, while Casy was shot dead by police who were chasing him. Christ had began a revival which continues today and Casy took part in rallying people to ban together to put an end to their discrimination and inhumane treatment by authority.
Jim Casy can also be seen as a communist. A communist can be defined as someone who believes in equalizing the social conditions of life, and wants no inequalities. They believe in distributing all wealth equally to all, or by holding all wealth in common for the equal use and advantage of all (www.dictionary.com). Jim Casy believed in all of this, and that no one should be regarded as better than another.
The establishment of communism posed a treat to the system on which America thrives, capitalism.
Jim Casy is also seen as a destabilizing figure. He ignited a fire within Tom Joad to fight for the injustices they were facing. Tom kills a police man after the officer stabs Casy. Upon seeing the officer fall, fellow officers fire shots into Casy, killing him. Tom is now forced to flee, leaving his family behind to escape the cops. Now that Tom is gone, it seems that the family may fall apart because he was such a strong force uniting them, especially for Ma. Casy not only causes a rift in the Joad family, but is helping to upset the balance for many others. Men like Casy, who strike for higher wages, force the authority to come down harder on all of the ‘Okies’. These ‘reds’ were forcing the wages down and the prices up because of their rebellion. But, in fact, it was these ‘reds’ that eventually won freedom and equality for their people.
Whichever you chose to view Jim Casy as, a Christ figure, a communist, of a destabilizing figure, the fact is, he was a good man. A man who believed that their was a common spirit uniting everyone. A man who was a hero to the poor and oppressed. A selfless character who asked nothing, but gave everything.
Rose of Sharon’s Paradox
Rose of Sharon, pregnant and husbandless, was the character in Grapes of Wrath that seemed to be constantly complaining and pessimistic. She hated doing any manual labor and was selfish. She clung to and dotted on unattainable dreams. This is why her final act of kindness is such a paradox.
Even before leaving for California, Connie and Rose of Sharon had their lives planned out in front of them. Connie was going to study at night and work during the day and they would own their own house and have new furniture for when the baby came and everything would be perfect, “Connie gonna get a job in a store or maybe a factory. An’ he’s gonna study at home, maybe radio, so he can git to be a expert an’ maybe later have his own store. An’ we’ll got to pitchers whenever. An’ Connie says Im gonna have a doctor when the baby’s born…An we’ll have a car, an’ a ‘lectric iron an’ the baby ’ll have all new stuff”(224). There are many instances in the book in which Rose of Sharon rambles on about how great and easy life is going to be, no one has the heart to smash her dreams with the truth. Even when Connie deserts her and the family is starving, she clings to these dreams as reality passes her by.
Rose of Sharon took advantage of the fact that she was pregnant. She expected everyone to wait on her hand and foot, “She was pleased with herself, and she complained about things that didn’t really matter. And she commanded services of Connie that were silly”(175). There were numerous times in the story when all Rose of Sharon wanted to do was sleep and mope around, and Ma had to scold her for it, “You got to clean up. Git your hair combed. Git the seeds out a your eyes.” When Rose of Sharon protested, Ma responded with, “Rosasharn, you git upright. You jus’ been mopin enough. They’s a ladies’ committee a comin’, an’ the fambly ain’t gonna be frawny when they get here.” Rose of Sharon continues to whine, but Ma wont take no for an answer.
Throughout the entire story, Rose of Sharon is worried about losing her baby. When the family dog is hit and killed by a car, Rose of Sharon wonders if in witnessing this, she somehow hurt the baby. Rose of Sharon becomes paranoid after a woman at the Weedpatch camp informs her that a young girl lost her child because she had been “hug-dancing” with a man. Ma attempted to console her, but Rose of Sharon became uncontrollable, “But I done it. I hug-danced. I done it in Sallisaw. Me and Connie. She says I’ll drop the baby. She knowed two girls los’ their baby right here in this camp.” After this, Rose of Sharon is worried sick about losing her baby, and sadly, she does.
After Rose of Sharon delivers her stillborn baby, the family is forced to flee because of a flood. They seek refuge in a farmhouse where a boy and his father are hiding out. The man is clearly dying of starvation and his only chance of survival is to quickly find some food. His salvation comes in the form of Rose of Sharon’s breast milk. This final act of kindness by Rose of Sharon is a paradox for many reasons. The first is that Rose of Sharon had been so selfish throughout the story, it was amazing she would give something of hers to another. Second, the act was sort of promiscuous and sinful in a way. She had been so worried about committing sin, and here she was allowing a grown man suck from her breast. This was an act of kindness, something Rose of Sharon had displayed very little of throughout the book. Finally, the milk that was supposed to allow her child to live, was now giving life to another. Everything happens for a reason.
Personal Opinion
When we chose to read the book Grapes of Wrath for this unit, I couldn’t wait to get started. I had recently began Steinbeck’s East of Eden, and was really enjoying it. I love the method in which John Steinbeck writes. His words are easy to understand, yet have deeper meaning attached to them. He introduces the Joads in a way that the reader can sympathize with them and become member of their family. To me, parts of Grapes of Wrath reads like a screenplay, so it is like you are watching as the action unfolds. All the dialogue in the book helps in this process. Some found the southern dialect difficult to understand, but that was not the case when I was reading. I lived for seven years in Kentucky, therefore, I have become accustomed to poor English grammar.
The essays we read during this unit really opened my eyes to the hunger problems our world faces. I was quite aware that thousands of children went to bed hungry each night, but I had no idea that the number was actually in the millions. It kind of made me feel selfish and spoiled. One thing that really surprised and angered me was the law prohibiting people from giving food to the homeless in Vancouver. This law seems outrageous and pointless. What has our world come to? Am I going to get fined or arrested for trying to save someone from starving? I really do not see the reason for this law and am seriously considering writing a letter to our congressman to get it revoked.
Sometimes I am ashamed to be an American because of how much food we waste everyday. Not only do we waste food, but we eat too much of it. If only our country would realize the damage we are doing to ourselves as well as depriving millions. But, I know its not only families that waste food. Groceries, restaurants, businesses, and, surprisingly, soup kitchens also fall into this trend. I volunteer at a homeless shelter and it really shocks me how much food is thrown away every day. Their storeroom is overflowing with so many food donations that most must be thrown out because the due date is past. They just simply have more food than mouths to feed, which seems crazy considering how many starving people live in our city. I don’t know how we can solve this problem. If only there were enough shelters to house all our homeless.
I also appreciated that you chose our presentation topics. It was a lot easier than leaving it up to us to find a topic that was relevant to the story. This way, the presentations were more helpful.

posted by Ron @ 3:36 PM