The Role Of The Joad Family In The Grapes Of Wrath

While reading The Grapes of Wrath, I learned primarily about a writer’s role in depicting the human condition and the most effective tools to do so. Steinbeck’s detailed portrayal of the Joad family and their transformation across the novel, to me, especially highlights the simultaneously steady and ever changing nature of the human condition. I enjoyed Steinbeck’s thoughtful characterization of even the smallest members of the family, Ruthie and Winfield, perhaps to emphasize that each member contributes to the family unit. the Great Depression impacted by the journey. In the same vein, the Joads underwent great personal transformations as a result of the extreme pressure to provide for themselves that changed their role in the family
and their worldview. For the most part, however, I believe that the majority of these transformations revealed the true colors of each family member rather than fundamentally change them. Ma Joad, for instance, emerges as the leader and backbone of the family, contrary to the period belief that the eldest man must serve as head of household. But, based on the consistent respect she receives from the rest of the family from Grapes start to finish, I believe she may have quietly maintained that role all along.