The Joad family faces numerous challenges, deprivations, and losses, barely managing to survive by the end of the novel. Yet, the overall tone remains hopeful. This optimism comes from the Joads' growing sense of collective awareness. This theme is particularly visible in Ma Joad's transformation—from her initial concern about keeping the family together to understanding the importance of unity with a larger community. In the final chapter, Ma asserts, “Use’ ta be the fambly was fust. It ain’t so now. It’s anybody. Worse off we get, the more we got to do.”

Hope arises from the journey that educates and enlightens some members of the Joad family, including Ma, Tom, Pa, John, Rose of Sharon, and Jim Casy. On the surface, their long journey seems to be a pursuit of the "good life," the American dream. However, this is not their sole motivation. In fact, those family members who cannot see beyond this materialistic aim—Noah, Connie, and Al—end up leaving the family along the way. The Joads transition from a traditional life that offered security, through the chaos of the road, and into California. There, they seek a new way of living and a deeper understanding of the world. Regardless of whether the surviving Joads live or die in California, their journey has been a success. Hope persists as they endure, driven by a desire to understand and control their lives despite ongoing discouragement.