Chapter 14 made an interesting point. At one point in the chapter it was stated that a farmer lost his farm. As this man's family picks up their belongings and heads west they meet up with another family dealing with a similar situation. Now these two families share a common bond. A brotherhood is forming. This is the catalyst. No longer is it one farmer saying he lost his land but two farmers united saying they lost their land. Much the same transformation happens to the Joad family - especially to the characters of Ma, Young Tom, and Rose of Sharon. At the onset of the novel we see the Joad family struggling just to keep their immediate family together. They are focused on just themselves. By the end of this wonderful book we see the Joad family branching out in many different ways to embrace all of mankind as one big family.

Ma Joad's main concern at the beginning of the story is her family. She wants to keep the unit together and works diligently to achieve this

Young Tom appears to be self-centered when he if first introduced. He has just left prison after serving four years for murder. Tom want to enjoy life to the fullest and to be with his family. He is very disturbed to find the family home deserted and almost destroyed. He by this time has reacquainted himself with Jim Casey, an ex-preacher. The more Tom listens to Jim and his views on life, the soul of man, and the fellowship of mankind, the less he focuses on himself and his needs. He then begins to focus on the plight and abuse of the homeless farmers. He starts to realize that in order for the migrant workers to survive and succeed they must unite. He knows that if they band together as one, they can demand that their God-given rights under the constitution be honored. They can begin to gain respect from their fellow man. After Jim is killed, Tom takes up the cause of "his" people. He plans to work with them. Just as Jim taught him, Tom realizes that man is no good alone and that every man's soul is just a piece of a bigger one.

goal. However, one by one, family members leave the group for various reas

Some common words found in the essay are:
Rose Sharon, Jim Casey, Joads Steinbeck's, Ma Joad, Ma Joad's, Sharon Tom, Grandpa Grandma, joad family, Wrath Explain, rose sharon, saying lost land, family ma, lost land, saying lost, beginning story, family unit,
Approximate Word count = 759
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)