The Grapes of Wrath Questions and Answers
by John Steinbeck

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  Give two examples from chapters 17 through 19 of how Ma Joad demonstrates strength when faced with many losses on the long road of California in The Grapes of Wrath.
  In chapters 17–19, the Joads finally reach California but must decide when to cross the desert. Ma Joad makes several decisions independently from the men, as she understands her role in motivating...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  In chapter 20 of The Grapes of Wrath, Casy takes the blame for Floyd and Tom after the fight with the deputy. What does this tell you about Casy's character?
  In chapter 20 of The Grapes of Wrath, a contractor arrives at the squatter camp looking to hire laborers to pick fruit in Tulare County. Immediately, Floyd demands that these workers are given a...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  What is Steinbeck saying about the American Dream in the novel?
  Author John Steinbeck (1902-1968) writes this novel in the midst of the Great Depression. As a result, his personal views of American life are filtered into the book. The concept of the American...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  Are the Joads ultimately able to overcome the hardships they face in The Grapes of Wrath?
  One can only admire the Joads for their dogged persistence in doing whatever they can to find a better life for themselves. Forced to leave their Oklahoma farm after it was repossessed, the Joads...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  What is the significance of the turtle in chapter 3 of The Grapes of Wrath?
  The turtle can be seen as a metaphor for both the Joads and the migrants in general: the turtle is tough, tenacious, and unstoppable. Steinbeck writes, "All over the grass at the roadside a land...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  In chapters 9-12 of The Grapes of Wrath, can you identify 5 figures of speech such as similes, metaphors, or personification, and evaluate them in terms of their effectiveness in helping you understand the text?
  The beginning of chapter nine is an extended metaphor about the pain of the farmers selling off their belongings to the junk man at horrendously low prices. It is mostly farming implements, an...

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  How is the theme of isolation explored in The Grapes of Wrath?
  John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath deals with social issues in the United States during the Great Depression. Like American writer Ralph Waldo Emerson, Steinbeck argues the philosophy of...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  In The Grapes of Wrath, how does Steinbeck support the idea that despite being a convicted murderer, Tom Joad is emerging as a likable and moral man? (chapter 6.)
  In chapter 6 of The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck reveals that despite being a convicted murderer, Tom Joad emerges as a likable and moral man. Steinbeck illustrates these traits through Tom’s actions...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  How is the theme of isolation explored in The Grapes of Wrath?
  The theme of isolation in The Grapes of Wrath is developed through the predicament of the book's characters. All the characters, for one reason or another, are to some extent isolated from each...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  What are some pieces of detailed information about chapters 1 and 2 of The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck?
  The first chapter begins with some extended, detailed imagery of increasing drought conditions that gradually settle over Oklahoma's farmland, with particular emphasis on the corn crop. Dust...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  Where did Steinbeck come up with the title for the book The Grapes of Wrath?
  The title of Steinbeck's novel comes from the biblical book of Revelation, chapter 14:19–20: And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  What details about Casy show him to be thoughtful in chapter 4 of The Grapes of Wrath?
  When Joad runs into Casy, they get into a conversation in chapter 4 that shows Casy to be a thoughtful man. Casy was once a preacher, but he tells Joad that now the "sperit" is not so strong in him...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  Which quote in chapter 7 of The Grapes of Wrath foreshadows the nature of the California dream?
  Most of chapter 7 in The Grapes of Wrath is comprised of internal monologues of used car salesmen frenetically selling jalopies to Oklahoma families wishing to drive to California. Capitalizing on...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  In chapter 7 of The Grapes of Wrath, how does Steinbeck describe the used car salesman? Which quote foreshadows the nature of the California dream?
  In chapter 7, the car salesman is characterized by a running monologue. It in, he reveals that he will do anything to close a sale. He does not mind cheating and emotionally manipulating people if...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  What does the land mean to the tenant farmers in The Grapes of Wrath? Why can't the tenant farmers fight the monster in chapter 5?
  John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath is a social or protest novel following the journey of protagonist Tom Joad and his family on a trek to California after being forced to abandon their farm in...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  In The Grapes of Wrath, how does Steinbeck support the idea that despite being a convicted murderer, Tom Joad is emerging as a likable, decent, and moral man?
  When the novel begins, Tom Joad Jr. has served four years of a seven-year sentence and returns to his family’s farm. His conviction was for manslaughter committed in self-defense, not homicide; he...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  Please explain Tom Joad's change in thinking from the beginning to the end of The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.
  We meet Tom Joad at the beginning of John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, just as he is coming home to his family after being released (on parole) from prison. Because of the Great Depression and...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  "The ancient Hudson, with bent and scarred radiator screen, with grease in dusty globules at the worn edges of every moving part, with hub caps gone and caps of red dust in their places--this was the new hearth, the living center of the family."...
  There are two metaphors in the given quotation which describe the Hudson truck. The first metaphor describes the truck as “the new hearth,” and the second describes it as “the living center of the...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  What is the importance of Muley Graves in The Grapes of Wrath?
  Muley Graves is not one of the major characters in the novel, but he is a significant character nonetheless. He is significant because he helps to drive a part of the plot and because he helps to...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  How does each member of the Joad family feel about going to California and leaving home in The Grapes of Wrath?
  For the most part, the members of the Joad family seem resigned to their fate in regards to their feelings toward leaving home and moving to California. None of them particularly want to leave, but...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  In The Grapes of Wrath, what role does the bank play? What power do the small farmers have against the banks and the tractors?
  In The Grapes of Wrath small farmers are presented as being at the mercy of the banks. The banks and other finance companies own the lion's share of the land on which the farmers work. With the...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  In The Grapes of Wrath, how and why does Steinbeck use a mixture of sensory images from multiple metaphors to introduce an idea, such as in this passage describing the Hudson River? The ancient Hudson, with bent and scarred radiator screen,...
  It should first be said that this passage does not refer to the Hudson River which, as it located in the eastern United States, is not prominent within the narrative. The "Hudson" in this passage...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  How does The Grapes of Wrath define "family" and how does the novel describe the significance of different kinds of families, both according to the biological definition of family as well as other kinds of family, and how does it relate to...
  Family is extremely important in The Grapes of Wrath and other novels by John Steinbeck. He is deeply concerned with the issues of individual alienation from society and of the harm caused by...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  Who is telling the story in The Grapes of Wrath and what is the value of having alternating voices in the narration? Does it help you understand the novel's plot and themes more easily, or does it interfere with your comprehension?
  In The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck employs a third-person, omniscient narrator to relay the story of the Joad family as they are forced to abandon their home in Oklahoma due to the Great...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  How do literature and history supplement each other in The Grapes of Wrath?
  To supplement effectively means to complete or add to, and in The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, history and literature most definitely work together to create or complete the story being...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  How does Steinbeck begin his story and keep it flowing in correct chronological order while maintaining the reader's interest?
  Steinbeck begins The Grapes of Wrath with a chapter that describes the land, the time period, and the way the people are displaced during the Great Depression. This opening chapter, like many of...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  Throughout the book Grapes of Wrath, what are the strongest and most specific examples of the "strength of family"?
  Ma Joad continually expresses the idea that there is strength in family. One clear example of this is in Chapter 16 when Tom suggests that he and Jim Casy stay behind to get the truck fixed while...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  What themes related to family are in The Grapes of Wrath?
  The challenges of keeping a family together during the Great Depression is one of the most important themes in John Steinbeck’s novel. The Joad family often fails in this goal, but their...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  In The Grapes of Wrath, how does the hitchhiker convince the trucker to give him a ride, even though he’s not supposed to?
  The hitchhiker in question is Tom Joad, the protagonist of the story. At the beginning of the story, he is freshly paroled and is returning to his family and his father's 40 acres of land. While...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  John Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath shows prejudice against outsiders or against those that seem to be "different."  I need a few examples of this as it is portrayed in the novel.
  Tom Joad, as an ex-prisoner, is by definition an outsider, and prejudice against his criminal record means that he always has to hide from the police in the novel.The episode of the camp in...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  What does Tom discover about Casey in John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath?
  Tom Joad finds out that Casy, whom he always thought was just a preacher, is actually a union organizer. Though Casy was indeed a preacher at first, he found it increasingly difficult to carry out...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  What does the tenant farmer mean when he says "Joe Davis's boy" is acting against his own people?
  In chapter 5 of John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, Joe Davis’s boy becomes a symbol of the changing times. Before, many men would be hired in order to work the land; however, now a tractor can...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  Why does the man not use more money from his pouch to get more food that the family wants or needs?
  The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, is set during the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. There is a famine because of poor agricultural techniques and a long drought, and there isn't much food...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  In The Grapes of Wrath, why does the man insist on paying for the loaf?
  The Grapes of Wrath takes place during the Dust Bowl, when a drought, combined with the ways that conventional farming practices had devastated the soil ecosystem, led to massive dust storms that...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  What are some similarities between The Grapes of Wrath the grapes of wrath and Class Matters?
  Both The Grapes of Wrath (1939) and Class Matters (2005) deal heavily with the notion of class in contemporary America. However, they vary greatly in terms of form and approach. The Grapes of Wrath...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  How do the Weedpatch camp migrants prepare for the rumored invasion of the Saturday night dance in The Grapes of Wrath?
  The Joads wind up at Weedpatch camp, a government-sponsored facility where the migrants govern themselves. This spares them from having to worry about corrupt police officers, which are normally a...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  How does Steinbeck view humanity based on The Grapes of Wrath?  
  The Grapes of Wrath has many different messages about humanity laced through it, so to argue that Steinbeck had any one view might be too limited. However, looking at some of the themes of the book...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  What are some political and social changes that the Joads go through in The Grapes of Wrath?
  Tom Joad and Ma Joad come to the poignant realization that where they once were a single unit as a family, clearly defined geographically and economically, once they get out on the road and become...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  In The Grapes Of Wrath, what power do the small farmers have against the banks and the tractors?
  The small farmers are tenant farmers, they do not own the land where they live and work. So, technically, they are powerless to fight against the tractors and the banks.The owners of the land...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  What are some political and social changes that the Joads go through in The Grapes of Wrath?
  The novel takes place during The Dust Bowl in the 1930s, which affected 2.5 million people in the Southern Plains region of the United States. It is one of the worst human-caused ecological...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  Why do you think The Grapes of Wrath is often studied in an American literature class? Why do you think The Grapes of Wrath is often studied in an American literature class?
  The Grapes of Wrath is one of the first and arguably one of the best novels depicting The Great Depression. As a piece of history, The Great Depression is one of America's "Top 10" periods of...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  In what ways is The Grapes of Wrath a criticism of capitalism?  The political implications of this novel have been strongly attacked. 
  The novel certainly advocates organized labor (unions/unionizing) and the promotes the rights of the labor class. These qualities align Steinbeck's novel with the values associated with communism...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  What are the syntax strategies used in Chapter 29 of The Grapes of Wrath?
  Chapter 29 of The Grapes of Wrath is an "inner" chapter and, therefore, short and lyrical in style. It is also a Biblical-styled chapter, as it depicts the Great Flood that is used as counterpoint...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  What are some examples of compassion and indomitable spirit in John Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath?
  Perhaps the most famous example of compassion and indomitable spirit in John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath appears in the novel’s final paragraph, in which Rose of Sharon, who has just lost...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  What is the social context of The Grapes of Wrath?
  Set in the 1930s, an era of massive economic collapse that affected all Americans that followed the hedonistic Roaring Twenties in which materialism and irresponsibility was de rigeur, The Grapes...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  In Grapes of Wrath, what does the family's house in Oklahoma and the barn in California symbolize or represent?
  The farm in Oklahoma provides a sense of identity to the Joads, as homes usually do for the families that live in them. A home allows a person to say, "I belong here, I am from here, this is...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  I need to write an essay on the main themes of the Grapes of Wrath. What would be a good topic sentence and thesis statement for my introduction? What point am I trying to prove?
  In order to write an essay on the main themes of Grapes of Wrath, you need to select one set of inter-related themes as a focus. Your thesis statement, which serves as a topic sentence for the...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  How is The Grapes of Wrath relevant to readers today? How has the novel influenced American society and culture as we know it?
  The Grapes of Wrath is a novel which is set during the great depression and follows the journey of the Joads, a family hit hard by the dust bowl who sells or packs all their belongings and seeks...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  In the Grapes of Wrath how has the Joad family and all the people in general lost their way spiritually? I've already narrowed what I think to three things: Lack of biblical leadership/lack of faith and lack of unity? Can anyone expand and tell me...
  Lack of faith is a huge reason. They are in the midst of depression, and everything that can go wrong has. They are poor, angry, and just generally fed up with life. The fact that they must...

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• The Grapes of Wrath
  Why is Tom impatient with the fat gas station attendant in  Chapter 13 of The Grapes of Wrath? 
  Tom feels that the man is being unfair, initially, then grows frustrated with the man's repeated question. As a refrain, the attendant asks what the world is coming to. When Casey offers an honest...

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