themes:
The dustbowl happens and there is no rain for months in Oklahoma. Rain clouds pass over head but there is no rain. Fierce winds and cause dust storms to start blowing around. This drives the residence of Oklahoma inside their houses. The dust storms destroy crops and ruin farmers.
Characters:
Symbol: Desert
Chpt. 2
theme:
A truck driver is talking with a waitress in a diner. A man is hanging around the truck driver's rig wearing brand new clothes. the man asks for a ride even though he sees the no hitch hiker sign in the truck driver's window. The man convinces the truck driver to give him a ride but the truck driver asks nosey questions and says he will go to engineering school one day. The man identifies himself as Tom Joad and pulls out a flask of whiskey and drinks from it. When Tom gets out, he thanks the truck driver for the ride and tells him not to be so nosey. Also he tells him he has just gotten out of prison for killing a man.
Tom, at first, appears to be sligthly evil.
Characters: Tom Joad, Truck Driver
Symbol: Judas
Chpt. 3
theme:Turtle
This chapter is about a turtle that represents the Joad family and in a bigger picture all of the people traveling across the country. The turtle crosses a road. One driver swerves in order to miss the turtle while one driver hits it. The turtle is ok though.
Characters: Turtle
Symbol:Turtle
Chpt. 4
theme: The importance of family
Tom watches the truck driver drive away and picks up a turtle after taking a swig of whisky. he travels a fair distance before meeting a strange man underneath a willow tree. The man is Tom's childhood priest. The mans name is Jim Casey and he is actually a former priest partially because of how many sins he committed as a priest in his younger days. Casey gets philisophical and claims that all men's souls are connecting to one giant soul. Tom tells Casey about being sent to jail for killing a man and makes prison out to almost be like heaven. Tom starts walking down memory lane as they get closer to his old home and but the home appears to be empty.
Characters: Rev. Jim Casey
Symbol: Da turtle
CHpt. 5
theme: People vs Moloch, the importance of land to people
Due to the drought, the land is dry and tenant farmers have not been able to pay off land owners because their crops cannot grow in such conditions. The landowners plan to grow cotton on the land to get the remaining moisture from the ground before selling it to people from the East coast looking to move West. Tractors move into the land and prepare the ground for the cotton crops while also making three dollars an hour. The farmers recognize the tractor drivers as sons of family friends and don't understand why anyone would want to kick them off of the land they've hand in their possession for so many generations. The landowners suggest the farmers move West to California.
Characters:
Symbol: Tractor vs horses
Chpt. 6
theme:
Tom and Casey look at the old Joad home and find that it's completely empty but nothing has been stolen. An old family friend named Muley Graves stops in and he tells them about how Tom's family lost their land. Muley goes on about how his family went out West but he stayed behind to bother the landowner. Muley shares the Jack Rabbits he caught with Tom and Casey. When they see a pair of headlights on the road they scatter since they are technically trespassing and camp out in a dried up river bed instead.
Characters: Muley
Symbol: Desert
Chpt. 7
theme:We vs I?
Used-car lots are appearing all over. There's profit to be made selling used cars to families who have been kicked off of their land, and are hoping to make it to California. The car salesmen are really slimy people because they overprice their used cars. The families, only really looking to get to California as fast as possible, are ripped off and almost have no alternatives.
Characters: Used car salesmen
Symbol: Judas, The Joads' truck
Chpt. 8
theme: Importance of Family,
Tom and Casey get up the next morning and walk to Uncle John's house which is 8 miles away. When they get there everyone is happy to see him and we are introduced to ma, pa, gram, and gramp. Ma cooks breakfast and Casey gives a prayer. Pa walks outside and shows Tom the car they will be traveling across the country in. Al, Tom's younger brother walks up and they talk about Tom's adventures in prison.
I believe this relates to the theme 'importance of family' because this chapter is all about the rejoicing of Tom and his family.
Characters: Ma, pa, Gram, Al, and gramp Joad,
Symbol: Jesus
Chpt. 9
theme: The importance of land to people
After being kicked off their land, the tenant people have to go through their belongings and to decide what is essential for them to bring with them, and what is unneeded. They sell the rest of their belongings in town. The tenant people are nervous to leave and to begin their journeys to California.
These people are so into just finding good land for food that they are selling their worldly belongings in order to have a chance of finding a plot of land across the country.
Characters:
Symbol:
Chpt. 10
theme: the importance of family, the importance of land to people,
Pa and John go into town to sell some family belongings for money while Tom and Ma stay and have a talk about California. Ma is worried that it'll be a flop. Pa and John return with only 18 dollars. We then meet mischievous Ruthie and Winfield and the pregnant Rose of Sharon who is truly in love with her 19 year old husband, Connie Rivers. While Ma is cooking dinner the menfolk decide that they will leave the next morning and bring Casey the rev. along with them. They slaughter and salt some pigs and are forced to drug grampa since he does not want to leave his home.
All of the people getting into the Joad's truck can officially be considered family because they obviously can put up with them for a long amount of time. The theme "importance of land to people" can be seen when Grampa refuses to leave his home and is drugged in order for him to be put into the truck. This is probably because this land is all that Grampa knows.
Characters: Ruthie, Winfield, Rose of Sharon, Connie Rivers
Symbols: Exodus, the Joads truck and highway 66
Chpt. 11
theme: The importance of land to people
The previous homes of farmers slowly deteriorate and the roofs slowly begin to peel and fall off. Mice and cats vacate the old houses and the local children throw rocks to break windows. Everything is quite vacant and empty.
I think this chapter relates to the theme 'the importance of land to people' but in a negative way. It is more like the lack of the importance of land to people. Since their land has dried up and is currently useless they may feel betrayed by a higher power because their lively hood has been destroyed.
Characters: Cats and Rats, Local Boys
Symbol: Desert, the plague
Chpt. 12
theme: Anger?
Families pile into used cars and truck as they travel the route 66. They learn to listen to their cars in case they hear anything that sounds like the car is going to break down. On the highway they meet car salesmen and mechanics who rip them off and tell them that it is silly of them to go to California.
Characters:
Symbol: Joad's truck and Highway 66
Chpt. 13
themes: Importance of Family, Anger
The Joads come to a gas station which has an owner that is curios if they will be able to pay for gas. When the man asks the Joads what the world is coming to Tom snaps at him. Grandpa feels a little confused and the family dog gets hit by a car on the highway. They continue on and meet Ivy and Sairy Wilson who let the Joads camp with them. Grandpa takes a nap in the Wilsons' comfy tent. While the joads are setting up camp Grandpa dies and they dig him a deep grave. Casey says some words and Al promises to fix the Wilson's touring car. The two groups decide to travel together to California.
Characters:Ivy and Sairy Wilson, Gas station man
Symbols: Desert, The Joad's truck
Chpt. 14
themes: People vs Moloch
Our narrator speaks to the landowners and the banks and all of the people responsible for kicking thousands of tenant farmers off the land during the dust bowl. Our narrator warns these powerful entities that, while it may be easy to manipulate a single family, it won't be as easy to push around a group of families that have banded together. Basically, there is strength in numbers, so watch out, mean landowner people.
Characters:
Symbols:
Chpt. 15
themes: We vs I
In a rest stop diner along route 66 there was a waitress named Mae and a cook named Al. Mae doesn't like the "Okies" and prefers the truck drivers who are rich and flirtatious. While Mae is flirting with truck drivers a father and son come in and ask if they can buy a loaf of bread. Mae says she doesn't sells loaves of bread but is snapped at by Al to be nice and sell them the bread. She sells them the break for ten cents and then some candy that she knocks the price down on. The family leaves and truck drivers leave Mae a hefty tip. Karma!
Characters: Mae, Al
Symbols: Exodus
Chpt. 16
themes: The strength of women, Importance of family
While travelling along route 66 their truck begins to sound broken. Tom knows there' a wrecking yard further up the road so he tells the other families they're travelling with to continue on with out them while they fix the truck. Ma flips out on Tom and says that he will not be away from the family again while threatening everyone with a tire jack. Tom and Al go find the part and run across a smelly one eyed man who is running the junk yard. He is complaining about his boss and how he never gets to go on dates. Tom tells the man to get an eye patch, shower, and seize the day. The men bring the parts back to the truck, which is guarded by Casey, and return to the rest of the family. The campsite they're staying at is quite expensive and they would look for another one, but gram is really under the weather. They speak with a man who claims that California doesn't have as many jobs as people thought and that it is quite miserable.
Characters: One eyed man
Symbols: Men returning home from california, one eyed man
Chpt. 17
themes: the meaning and importance of family,
This chapter lays out the lifestyle that these farmers eventually sink into. Unspoken laws are written and all of the parties try to help each other out by gathering firewood, water, cooking, and overall just being friendly to everyone they are staying with. Every morning these little towns are torn down and the families move further down the road towards Cali.
All of these travelling families are relying on each other in order to survive. They meet up with each other and share goods just like friends and family would do. The only difference is that all of these people are dirt poor, homeless, and heading to the same location.
No characters.
Symbol/motif:
Chpt. 18
themes: importance of family
The Joad's have just encountered a large dessert that they have to cross if they wish to get to California. They decide to stop at the Colorado River and wait until nightfall to travel on. Pa, Tom, and Noah go swim in the Colorado River when they are joined by a father and son returning from California. They tell the Joads that everything is owned in California and that there is no work. This disheartens the Joads, and shortly after hearing this Noah tells Tom that he is going to leave the group and live on the river. Grandma is still very sick and when Ma is tending to Grammy a police man tells them that they must move on or be moved. The Wilson's stay behind when the Joads pack up and leave the next morning. They are trying to get grandma to a doctor but she ends up dying before they gaze upon the heavenly, green, prosperous California.
In this chapter there are three different families encountering hard times. The Joads have been told that California isn't worth entering due to the lack of job availability and they are also having trouble with Grandma's health. Sairy of the Wilson couple is too sick to keep on traveling so she tells Ivy it's alright to stay back. Lastly, there is a father and son that is leaving California. The point is that even though these families are going through tough times they stick together and tough things out.
Characters: Tom, Noah, Ma, Grandma, Ivy and Sair Wilson, Officer, Large woman, Father and son, little boy in the water.
Symbol/motif: men returning from California, Desert, Highway 66,
Chpt. 19
themes: Moloch, We vs I, Anger, Importance of Family, Importance of land to people
This chapter is a view from the eyes of corporations. What the owners of these giant farms see is a massive army of hungry, angry, and tired families. They are fearful of them joining together and overthrowing their monopoly on their huge farms. The owners of these farms take every precaution that they can to ensure the Okies are uncomfortable and mobile. When they attempt to start a small garden on the edge of a farm, police remove their small crops and then ask them to move on before burning their Hooverville community to the ground.
This chapter is written as if from the point of view of an angry Moloch due to the hatred toward the Okies. The farmers throughout this entire chapter are wishing that they had a small amount of land to farm on so that they can feed their families. This relates to both the importance of family and land. The We vs I is directly related to the farmers being the we and the corporations being the I
No characters
Symbol/Motif: The plague
Chpt. 20
themes: Anger, people vs Moloch
The Joads have just settled down in Hooverville which is a very dilapidated civilization made up of trash. The mayor plays dumb which angers pa and tom Joad but they later find out that they are playing dumb because they really just hate dealing with cops. The family begins to set up camp while Tom walks off and talks with a man fixing up his car. The two start talking and the mechanic mentions that there is apparently work up north but none in California. Tom then practically tells the mechanic that he wants to start a revolution which directly relates to the people vs Moloch. The man then tells Tom that the leader of the crowd will almost definitely be taken to jail and all of the following leaders will face the same fate. Ma is swarmed by the children of Hooverville when she is making stew and is told by a little girl that the government camps set up for the migrant workers are pretty much heaven with hot running water, toilets, and beds. Al speaks with the mechanic and finds out his name is Floyd Knowles. A man in a stetson pulls up in a nice chevrolet and asks if the men at the camp are interested in jobs. They all say yes but Floyd asks to see a contract so he can know how much he's going to be paid. The man says that Floyd is agitating group and summons his sidekick police officer who also happens to have a gun. Floyd tells the men not to sign up until they see a contract, and that's when the two men try to frame Floyd for a bank robbery that apparently happened the previous week. Floyd decks the officer and flees. When the officer recovers he tries to shoot Floyd but is attacked from behind by Casey who gives himself up after the officer awakes from his blow. Casey is taken away to prison while the Joads head south after learning from Floyd that a group of people are going to burn down the Hooverville.
Characters: The mayor, Floyd Knowles
Symbol: Pretty Boy Floyd
Chpt. 21
theme: People vs Moloch, anger
People are still flooding into California and every worker (plus his family) are starving. Men are taking work for practically no pay just so they can say they have work. As the pay for migrant workers grows smaller the cost of fruit and vegetables stay the same. The land owners get rich and the locals get tired of the "Okies" presence. Landowners hire spies, buy gas and guns, and put all of their efforts towards destroying any hope the workers from the East might have. Farmers on the West coast start to lose their land to Moloch and have to fight with "Okies" for jobs. The big business farmers may have bit off more than they can chew.
This chapter is about Moloch dominating the land that was once owned by many many people. Moloch begins to try to put out the flame of anger that the migrant workers and now small farmers of the West have inside them by trying to invoke intimidation with guns. Moloch is being quite well fed.
Characters: Moloch
Symbol: Tractors vs horses
Chpt. 22
theme: Importance of family, The strength of women
The Joads arrive at the government camp, realize that they have reached heaven, and fall asleep. The community appears to be a socialist environment with dances on Saturday nights, hot running water, and toilets. The next morning Tom wakes up and wanders around camp to see a young woman cooking breakfast. Tom investigates and as he approaches the camp two men come out of the tent and greet him. They ask him to stay for breakfast and then invite him to come to where they are working. The men are both fully dressed in brand new duds. The men introduce themselves as Timothy and Wilkie Wallace. When they get to the Wallaces place of work, they are told by Mr. Thomas, the man who hired them, they he can no longer pay them 30 cents an hour because the farmers association said so. He has to now pay them 25 cents and just because he was paying his 30 cents an hour he may not get the loan from the bank that he needs. Mr. Thomas says that there will also be a disturbance this Saturday night at the dance. This will take place because the police cannot enter the camp without a warrant. Back at the camp, Ruthie and Winfield play with the flushing toilets. The camp manager visits and tells ma the Ladies committee will visit her shortly. Ma tells everyone to clean up the camp and then goes and takes a shower. A strange lady talks to Rose of Sharon who has just gotten out of the shower, and tells her not to sin by dancing to close with anyone. She says that two other women at the camp gave birth to stillborn babies because of how much they sinned and that the camp manager is in fact Beelzebub. The camp manager tells Rose of Sharon that the old woman just likes to make peoples live miserable. The ladies committee arrives along with the crazy old lady. The old woman visits ma this time and tries to scare her but ma chases her away with a stick. The old lady runs away praying, keels over, and rolls back her eyes. Uncle John, Al, and Pa have still not found work. They think that Tom has run away for good but Ma knows that he will return.
This chapter is an uplifting one. It talks about successes and very little failures. Tom has found a job that can support his family for a little while and made some friends along the way. Ma has been offered a position on the women's committee and fights off an old woman who frightens Rose of Sharon. Everything thing seems to be sifting out in a positive way and the family, for now, is kind of happy.
Characters: Crazy old lady, Timothy, Wilkie, Camp manager
Symbol: Judas
Chapt. 23
theme: We vs I?
The migrant are always trying to find ways to entertain themselves. They'd usually sit around and talk about how they used to kill native Americans for land. One man was extremely sad when he shot a naked indian on top of a hill sun bathing. Getting drunk sometimes helped with forgetting your current worries. the narrator also speaks of people who have learned musical instruments such as the harmonica, guitar, and fiddle to pass the time. People also like to dance, and the narrator speaks of a Cherokee girl and a Texan man who are dancing really fast. They soon sneak away into the darkness and get busy. There's also a preacher who is baptising people for sins such as dancing, playing music, getting drunk, and having sex.
Characters:
Symbol: Jesus, Judas
Chapt. 24
theme: We vs I
Saturday, the day of the dance, everyone is getting all gussied up. People have raided scrap yards for copper wire so that the dance floor can be lit for the first time ever. The men prepare for the raconteurs that are being sent to disrupt the dance and allow police men to search around. Tom is elected to be a bouncer and meets a half Cherokee man named Jule Vitela. The bouncers identify three sketchy young men as the raconteurs and catch them before they can start any trouble. Huston talks to the young men and then lets them go free. Tom talks about a union that formed in Akron, Ohio and consisted mostly of mountain men. The factory owners and townspeople tried to run them out of town, but the mountain men armed themselves with guns and were never bothered again. A man named Black Hat says this is a good idea and that they should do exactly that.
I believe this chapter relates to we vs I because the three young men that were hired for the job were also migrant workers that could not find work.
Characters: Jule Vitela, Black Hat, Huston
Symbol:Jesus, Judas
Chapt. 25
theme: People vs Moloch, Anger and Hunger
Spring in California is compared to heaven due to the blossoming flowers, fruits, and vegetables. Although since the economy is so bad forty five-pound barrels of fruit sell for only five dollars. Small time farmers can't sell their food for profit so they just keep it for themselves. The migrant workers across California are starving and the owners of the massive farms are spraying their food with kerosene so that people won't eat it. All over California people are dying from hunger and food is rotting.
Characters:
Symbol: Tractors vs Horses
Chapt. 26
theme: Strength of women, importance of family,
The Joads have lived at the Weedpatch for quite some time now and still haven't found any work. Ma is worried about Rose of Sharon and Winfield because aren't looking to great. Maybe it's from all the fried dough. Ma has to get on Pa's case and make him all embarrassed so that he'll go and find food for the family. The Joads have decided to move North so that they can pick cotton for money but they don't know the pay. Ma says she doesn't care and that they just need food. At the break of dawn the next day, they leave Weedpatch but shortly after pop a tire. While they're fixing the flat, a man tells them there's work forty miles up the road at Hooper ranch picking peaches. When they arrive at the ranch they see that there's a line of people and police. The Joads are escorted in by motorcycles through the crowd of yelling people. They are staying in a little smelly shack and as soon as they get there they start picking peaches. They are told they will get five cents per bucket of peaches. Ma goes and buys food. After dinner, Tom tries to figure out what was with the yelling people. A police officer tells him that they were picketers and then tells him to walk in the other direction. Tom leaves the peach camp and heads down the road until he finds a tent with a light. Inside is The Rev. Jim Casey. Casey talks about his time in prison and how oppressed men can form an uprising. As they are sitting in tent they hear footsteps and flee the scene. They hide in a river bed, but are found by men with pickaxes and flashlights. A man strikes Casey and kills him instantly, Tom is hit in the face. His cheek is torn and his nose is broken but he takes the pick axe that killed Casey and avenges his death. Tom runs back to peach camp and can't work the next day due to the fact that he might be recognized. Rose of Sharon seems to be going a little bit insane and fears Tom's sins will ruin her baby. Winfield is sick with diarrhea from eating too many peaches. The landowners cut the price per barrel of peaches down by 50% and they decide that it's not worth risking Toms life. They pack up and hide Tom between their two mattresses in the back of their truck. There are signs saying there's work up north picking cotton. Tom separates himself from the group and lives in a boxcar while the family goes North to pick cotton.
Ma feels like she has to take control of the reigns since the family is getting too comfortable in Weedpatch so she does exactly that and references to the strength of women. The family also goes through extra measures to hide Tom after he was assaulted and they leave a place of work just so that he won't get caught.
Characters:
Symbol: Exodus, Moses
