Grapes of Wrath Truth and Innocence

Truth and Innocence

“And I thought that all those little kids are going to grow up someday. And all those little kids are going to do the things that we do. And they will all kiss someone someday. But for now, sledding is enough. I think it would be great if sledding were always enough, but it isn’t.” –The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Little kids are the face of innocence because they have not been tainted by the truths and horrors of the world. In The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, Ruthie and Winfield Joad represent innocence. Unlike the other characters in the book, Ruthie and Winfield still hold onto their purity because they have not experienced as many hardships. It is better to tell children the truth than to keep them away from it in order to conserve their innocence.
Ruthie and Winfield Joad represent purity because they have not been through as much misery as the rest of the family. For example Uncle John lives through life believing the death of his wife is his fault and Tom Joad has been through four years of prison after killing a man. When the Joad family stops for water, a car runs over their dog and Winfield says, “His guts was just strowed all over-all over”-he was silent for a moment-“strowed-all-over,” he said, and then he rolled over quickly and vomited down the side of the truck”(132) The rest of the family did not make much of a scene when this happened, but because Winfield has not been through many traumatizing events, it scared him more.
Truth plays a big role in The Grapes of Wrath. When Tom Joad meets Timothy Wallace and Wilkie, Mr. Thomas tells them, “Don’t you ever tell where you heard,” Thomas said uneasily. “There’s going to be a fight in the camp Saturday night. And there’s going to be deputies ready to go in”(296). Mr. Thomas took the liberty to tell the three men the truth. Because they knew what was going to happen they were able to take action and prevent the fight. If Mr. Thomas did not tell them about the fight, the people of the government camp would have been able to enjoy their dance worry free, but instead the camp took action and are now mindful of the deputies’ thoughts and powers. The truth is always better because it keeps people strong and aware of their surroundings.
Many parents will lie to their children in a difficult situation because they want to keep them safe. When Rose of Sharon delivers a stillborn baby Ruthie wants to know where it is. Instead of telling her what actually happened, Ma says, “They ain’t no baby. They never was no baby. We was wrong” (446). Because Ruthie is so young and naive Ma does not want Ruthie to know the disappointment of Rose of Sharon’s child. Lying to children to preserve their innocence is not always the best option. If Ma told Ruthie what really happened, it would only make her stronger and better prepared for other hardships in her life.
Shutting children out about the “bad stuff” may seem like the leading solution, but the truth is the best because it makes them strong and aware of what lies ahead. In The Grapes of Wrath lessons are learned through the truths and lies that are told. In the moment the lies seem to make the characters happier, but better outcomes come from the truths. Some people may be happier only hearing what they want to hear, but I believe knowing the truth and dealing with it is greater, because living on lies and fairy tale endings just is not enough.