The Grapes of Wrath

Essay of The Grapes of Wrath

Life obstacles are something that everyday society has to deal with. A death in family, not making enough money to support a family, your job is replaced by technology, or you are a minority in a country that does not really accept minorities. In the book The Grapes of Wrath the Joad family experiences these obstacle and still find a ways to survive by staying together and pushing on even though they live in this harsh world.

Ever since farming has been around, man did everything by hand. Now that tractors are introduced to society, farmers are replacing workers with these tractors. This is an obstacle that workers need to overcome so they can survive. They will need to find another job so they can support their family. The Joad family experiences this problem and is forced to leave. By leaving, this affects the family dramatically over time.

While on the road to finding a new life the family is experiencing bad health conditions because they have no money to buy food that they need. The Grampa of the family dies from a stroke but the family believes he died long before that. They believe he died when he was forced of the land because the Grampa was never the same. He admits this when he says "the minute you took me off that place." By Grampa dying, the family believes things will never get better. Ma turns the family's hopes around when she says "All we got is this family unbroken", indicating that staying together is the best way to overcome any obstacle that the world puts in front of them.

As the family travels they experience troubles with their car. What is amazing about this is that they get help from people through out their problems. When the car breaks down, they buy a part for cheap because the employee hates his boss. There is another obstacle that they have overcome and continue to move on. As long as you stay positive and believe that you will okay, then you will. Good attitudes always help you get what you need.

Later in the book the Joad family is living in a camp and things happen there that cause them to leave because a mob is going to burn it down. This family experiences problems left and right but still find ways to survive. They get help from society and know that one day they will be okay. As they move on they find more shelter and more problems to come.

The family is living in a boxcar, and is picking cotton by the end of the story. Then there is a flash flood that destroys their home. Things just never get better for the family. Time and time again something happens to this family that is not good. The amazing thing about this is, the family still fights to survive and they are doing it. Earlier in the story Jim Casy finds a turtle. This turtle represents a lot for the Joad family. The turtle, like the Joads and other migrants, carries its home on its back wherever it travels.