Now that you have been introduced to more of the Joad family(including friends), take time to reflect on each of the characters and what you think they night bring to the plot.
Pick three of the characters (anybody other than Tom) and describe them with as much detail as possible. You can make inferences about their personalities from their actions.
I found Uncle John to be the most integrate character in the chapters we where assigned to read. Although we don’t actually get to meet him Joad talks a lot about him. John’s wife was complaining of stomach aches and he just dismisses it, and consequently she dies. He feels terrible so he now spends his time trying to do little things like handing out candy to children or delivering a sack of meal to a neighbor, in order to console him for what he has done. It would be horrible to live life like that, wishing you could go back and change something as little as getting a doctor for your wife and then maybe she would still be alive. Living with the death of a loved over your head forever would be unspeakably hard.
ReplyDeleteJoads mother is interesting. Most people would be devoured by joy if they saw their son who has been gone for so long, but not Ma Joad. She is skeptical and believes that he might have escaped from jail illegally, and then she goes on to ask if he has gone “mean-mad”. In the end I see Ma Joad as a rock or a foundation for the family. She is smart to question her son even if it is a little off-putting. Better safe then sorry. She is the “the citadel of the family.”
I really like Al! He is obsessed with cars and girls, but what sixteen year old boy isn’t. His character helped me relate to the story a little more, it made it feel more life like to me. He may be vain and cocky but he is relatable. Al really looks up to Joad and its nice to feel the big brother little brother confection. You feel like you are apart of their connection, and the families connection.
Ma Joad- She is the homely mother, always looking after everyone and making sure no mouth goes unfed. She seems like more of the foundation since Uncle John is never seen and Pa has no farm to sustain the family. Ma is the peace-maker and just seems very solitary. Looking into the kitchen, Tom describes his mother, both mentally and physically, for half a page (page 74) in Chapter 8. She took dignity in the place she held within the family being the healer, arbiter, and citadel of the family. Although she has had to absorb all the pain of losing the farm and having to move, she still is joyous, calm, and humble.
ReplyDeleteGrampa Joad- Tom Joad's grandfather and also the founder of the Joad farm. Grampa is now old and infirm, living in the Joad barn with his equally argumentative wife. He is cruel and has a violent temper, and enjoys tormenting his wife and shocking others with his sinful talk. “Grampa was a lean, ragged, quick old man, jumping with quick steps and favoring his right leg. He had an excitable face with little bright eyes as evil as a frantic child’s eyes. A cantankerous, complaining, mischievous, laughing face. He fought and argued, and told dirty stories. He drank too much when he could get it, ate too much when it was there, and talked too much all the time.” His character seems to be just for laughs, but I feel there is somewhat of a connection with him and the land, after all, he did create the Joad farm.
Granma Joad- The shrill woman who only survived because she was as mean as her husband. She loves the preacher, although her husband keeps a mean eye on him during the saying of grace. Once she even shot Grampa in the butt, threatening Grampa to see what happens when she really gets mad. “As she walked she hiked her Mother Hubbard up to her knees, and she bleated her shrill, terrible war cry: “Pu-raise Gawd fur vittory!”” She is the perfect person for an old withered man like Grampa because together they fight over everything, and loved and needed that fighting. Probably one of my favorite characters so far...
In chapters 7-9 we are introduced to Tom's family, Ma and Pa Joad, Grama and Grampa Joad, Noah, and Uncle Al. Ma and Pa Joad, from the very begging seem to be the obvious leaders in the plot and in my opinion Ma will have the most long term affect on the story. In her introduction Steinbeck makes it clear of the importance of Ma Joad is to her family and what love she has for it, which in my opinion, makes her a very strong character within the plot. Pa Joad seems more of the softer side of the family, the one who is more emotional and has good intention but is just not strong enough to act on it. Grama and Grampa Joad are my favorite characters yet. Although there personalities are full of bitter wittiness I feel that they may not survive into the future of the plot, but for now act as a big part of the motivation for the family in there journey to California. Uncle Al seems to be a character that may pull down on the families strings later on in the story with emotional collapses based on the event of his wife's passing. Then lastly Noah, I think that Noah's character, although the most shy and soft spoken, will end up creating the most drama on the families journey. I feel that although he doe not show emotion, because he has held in his feelings so long, later on in the story his feelings are going to come out and with that is going to come a large event or climax.
ReplyDeleteMa Joad- Ma Joad seems to be the typical mother, the mother that cares most for her son and would do anything to see him at the soonest possible moment of parting from him. She is loving and caring and takes the utmost responsibility in looking out for her family.
Pa Joad- Pa Joad is a character that seems to be the one to wear his heart on his sleeve and is extremely good hearted. Just by his reaction to his sons coming home and plan he made to surprise his wife just portrayed his love for his family. He also seems extremely motivated, motivated to provide for his family and give them the best, especially in trying to maneuver the whole family to California.
Grama Joad- Grama Joads character is my favorite. She is so witty and out spoken. She says what she wants when she wants. It is obvious that she never holds back a negative or positive thought, especially when it is pointed toward her husbands direction. She also is a very strong Christian and takes her religion seriously, this is where her most passionate part of her personality comes out.
The more and more i read on in the novel, the more and more I realize how character-based it is. There is only one thing to say for the Joad family, and that is that they are very colorful. I have never before read a novel that is so vividly depictive of the characters entailed within the text. They are all so rich in personality, I just cannot shake the word colorful out of my mind. Not even to mention that just the attraction of their stereotypical perceptions of the characters is enough to compel the reader. Each character has their own personality, and these personalities each contribute to the story in their own unique ways.
ReplyDeleteIn the chapters we just recently read, these personality traits of the characters have really come to emerge, perhaps almost provoked to emerge by the events that occur. In this reading, the Joad family took up and left their hometown and began their migration westward to California. Ma has a bad foresight about the trip since the moment they load up in the truck, and I for one had a deep feeling that bad things were sure to happen along the family’s trip. Along the way, they pulled over to stop, and Grampa had a breakdown and ended up having a stroke. This event was foreshadowed not only by Ma’s worrying mind, but by Grampa’s stubbornness when the time came to leave. He just wanted to stay behind at the house by himself; he had no interest in leaving his life behind. And that was what he did. Casy even mentioned after his eulogy that he died when they left the house, that the house was his life. This was very powerful in my mind, and gave me a greater realization that these characters are intuitively connected, both with eachother, and with the land. It is brilliance in character relations. Although Grampa died, the mood was still not entirely too gloomy, as most characters remarked that they felt no different after the death. In fact, they felt hopeful, as in this time of loss they met their new roadside companions, the Wilsons. They had a whole new outlook on the venture after this.
The vividness of each character, particularly Ma, Casy and Al, all make the story a very predictable thing. This is not necessarily a bad thing, though, since the events that you have foresight for are usually different in the outcome than you would normally imagine. Initially, I thought a theme of hardship would accurately describe the feeling of the story, and this, as I’ve come to find out, is only half-true. The family experiences hardships and are dealing with assuredly hard times, but from their togetherness and sense of family + spirituality, they seem to be able to withstand any event, and grow from it. The theme seems to be shifting more in the direction of hope.
Ma is by far the most intellectually-tuned character in the bunch. She, from her tendency to worry, makes many connections and insights that are almost always congruent with the outcome. Her spirit is light, and deeply rooted in her passion and love for her family. She is always calm and level-headed, and seems to have an aura of comfort that resonated onto the other characters with it’s red-orangeish glow (this is how I vision it). I’m not sure how she can be so keen in her insights. I guess it is after all a novel; the author undoubtedly intended it that way. She has already bridged some of the gaps I usually have trouble with pointing out in novels in aspects of theme and such. I can’t wait to see how she perpetuates the story next.
Tom Joad is the main character in the novel and also the favourite son of Ma and Pa Joad. He killed a person and was separated from his family for a few years but he lives not in sadness or waste his time. He lives in the moment in the present moment. Because of that he gets a very important part of the family he has the power or energy to guide and protect the members of the family.
ReplyDeleteMa Joad is the centre of the family and she is full of happy with it. The family members are coming to her when they need an advice, have something to tell or are sad. Ma loves it. When the book continues and the family is on the trip to California the family gets upset and at one part the think about splitting up. Ma gets really sad and depressed so the family stays together and makes her happy. Ma Joad gets stronger while the book continues.
Noah is Tom’s older brother and since he is born he was slightly deformed. He is more the person who is quiet, he feels his parents don’t love him as much as the other children that’s why he slowly left his family behind close to California. He just told Tom and left. I thought he is interesting and I can understand him. I thought his parents are acting different to him than to the other children.
Ma throughout the story progresses becoming a strong leader in the family. I find this interesting especially considering the role women played in society during that time period. Her determination not just to get to California but to help her family is extremely important as they begin their journey. Ma is obviously a very strong and important character and in my opinion she represents the families strength. Ma is the glue which holds the family together her determination to do this is what pushes each family member farther.
ReplyDeleteCasy the preacher though not a member of the family is obviously an important person in the book. He has not had a large role yet but his patience and observation make me think he will be important to the story. In addition the religious aspect of Casy is in my opinion going to play a part though perhaps in an interesting way. Casy does not speak of god he speaks of wanting to become an ordinary man and he speaks of his new found beliefs. Though his lectures are often misunderstood they leave a message for the listener and this will be important later.
Pa
Pa is a true farmer in every sense of the word. He is a quiet man he keeps his feelings to himself though he knows what is going on. Pa is obviously not as strong willed as Ma and this may be difficult for him to handle later on. He is a mans man so to speak and although he does not hold command over the family at all times Pa is an important figure. His role is literally the father he is distant though protective, wise but ignorant and he is viewed as a father these traits will change as the book moves on.