Grapes Of Wrath Community Analysis

The novel, The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck was published in 1939 and seemingly took place in the time during the great depression. After reading the book, I can think that the main point of the novel would be to show the impact of a community. In the novel, we see all of the hardship the people go through; however, in the sections when the people of kin come together as one, it seems that things turn up. Without one, they seem at the mercy of the others around them. It just would seem that Steinbeck put lots of emphasis on the point that as one with others around them, the Joad family was able to overcome any obstacle they came upon.
In the beginning of the tale, we find that the protagonist, Tom, is locked up for a 'crime' he could not help. He is released, classified as a
parole, and set on returning to his family's farm. Upon his return he is met by Casy, a used-to-be preacher, in which they then continue their travel to Tom's father's farm. Once there, they discover the land much changed, as the land is now abandoned and overrun with crop. The two explore the new surroundings until evening to which they are met with a familiar face, that of Muley. Muley tells about the whereabouts of Tom's family residing at his uncle's farm to which they decide to go there. Tom reunites with his family
Ending the tale, the family makes it to a government site to which Tom almost immediately finds ajob, the family settles for a month, and Rose receives care.
This doesn't last long as they don't earn enough money and soon decide to leave to find better work. They run across a man who tells them of a peach picking job and they decide to take it. They make it to the workplace but are met with a car line caused by 'Reds'. Ignoring the crowd, they sign in, and immediately begin to pick the fruit and earn money. Tom explore, eventually leading himself out of the gate and into a reunion with Casy, whom is leading the strike after learning some things from the jail. This doesn't end well due to cops finding them, killing Casy, and injuring Tom. Tom escapes and makes it back to his family, but now he must hide, and his family must leave, in fear of them having to separate once more. They find a box car to live in and arrange their new lives in cotton picking. Their new community makes it fine until rainy seasons, Rose had given birth to a dead baby, and they split up once again leaving Ma, Pa, Uncle John, Rose and the kids to find another place. They take shelter within a barn, meeting two
men.
Major conflict: The drought of the 1930's forced the farmers to migrate westward to California. Rising action: Tom is released from prison and encounters Casy who presents Tom with his philosophy of the holiness of human beings in general. The two eventually find the rest of Tom's family and they all leave for California. Climax: After reaching California and having spent a while there, the events eventually lead to a policeman murders Casy and Tom killing the policeman, making himself an outlaw and committing himself totally to the cause of workers' rights rather than the fortunes of his own family. Falling action: Tom explains to Ma of the wisdom he learned from Casy; Tom departs from the rest his family; Rose of Sharon's nursing of a starving man, which symbolizes the community in suffering formed by the destitute migrants.