The Grapes of Wrath
The first part of the book speaks of the troubles in Oklahoma during the Great Depression. Dust overwhelms the crops, the land, and the people. A truck is parked outside a diner; the driver leaves and runs into Tom Joad, who tricks the driver into giving him a ride. During the ride they speak of his past and his homicide conviction that he was paroled for. Tom picks up a turtle as a gift for his nephews, and meets Jim Casy, his former preacher. They go to Tom's home where they find the farms deserted. A passer-by, Muley Graves, tells them about the replacement of the tenants with tractors. The Joads moved in with Tom's Uncle John, picking cotton to earn money for a car to go to California.Tom meets his family when they arrive at John's house as they are packing up for California. There is a reminiscing of the family and Tom, where we are informed of all the family's status. The book talks about the arduous journey to California for all tenants. People are selling everything they have in order to get enough money to pursue life in California; the buyers pay very little for all the things the farmers are attempting to sell, taking advantage
The fear, hunger, and hardships of the "Okies" bring them together, and the landowners see this, so they become more weary and paranoid. The Joads find a Weedpatch camp: a government funded migrant refuge and haven from the hateful landowners and police. Tom goes to a ranch to find work with some people he knows from the camp. The owner tells him he can pay him twenty-five cents a day and no more. He also tells him of a conspiracy against the camp to allow the police in the arrest suspected communists. The other Joad men go looking for work unsuccessfully. The author spends the next chapter telling us about the camp's lifestyle and what the migrants to during the day, some tell stories, dance, and get drunk to forget their worries. The Farmers paid men to begin a riot in the migrant settlement in order to get the police to terrorize some of the "Okies". During the dancing at night, conspicuous men are noticed and evicted before they can start trouble. The profit margins for many farms begin to shrink as the cost of picking rises and the cost of the picked fruit drops, this leads to rotting fruit and wastes crops. As the grapes turn sour, the same bitterness covers the land and its' people. The Joads continue their trek to California talking and considering the future. They stop at a gas station and while they wait a car kills their dog. They pass through Oklahoma City and soon after Grampa dies from a stroke. They decide to travel the rest of the way with Ivy and Sairy Wilson, whom they meet along the way. The author tells us the condition of the people in the West and their fears of the approaching waves of farmers of the mid-west. The author tells us of events in a diner along highway 66. The waitress, Mae, sold a tattered family a loaf of bread and pieces of candy for a low price. This act makes the truck drivers notice her kindness and leave a generous tip, displaying that kindness cycles through the dry, bitter land. The family continues the discussions of what they will do in California; the Wilson's car breaks down and halts the trip. The group refuses to go without them so Tom and Al go to a
Some common words found in the essay are:
Section Chapters, Jim Casy, Joads Weedpatch, Tom's Noah, Sairy Wilson, Casy Tom, Six Chapters, Uncle John, Tom Joad, Tom Al, section chapters, author tells, rose sharon, cotton fields, uncle john, jim casy,
Approximate Word count = 1440
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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