The Grapes of Wrath Chapter 23

Summary: (this chapter talks about how they migrant people are dealing with these hard times) the travelers continue to look for food and work as they have been doing for months. They share stories, some that are true, some are made up and some they stole from movies. some people are getting drunk, so they can lessen the pain they are feeling by the depressive state they are in. Others play music and dance to release all the energy they have from not working.

Themes:
People vs. "Moloch" - the people are doing everything in their power to stay uplifted during this harsh struggle despite getting kicked off their land, not being wanted in California, trying to get thrown in jail and starving to death. This is another connection between the people and the turtle and how no matter what they are going to fight for survival until their death.

"we" vs."I" - people are trying to make these hard times survivable by engaging in activities for people to try and get their minds of the glaring hazards of the present.

This is a "bigger picture" chapter so there are no specific characters.

The Grapes of Wrath Chapter 22

Summary:The Joads migrate to a new camp where there is an actual type of government set up. there are people who are elected to make decisions for the camp, create laws and people can get punished. The Joads get some new neighbors, Timothyand Wilkie Wallace. they invite Tom to come and work with them. Their boss however informed them that he was going to have to lower their pay because otherwise the bank would not renew the crop load that he needs in order to keep his work going and be able to provide people with jobs. He then lets them know that a couple of guys are going to cause a scene at the up coming dance so that the police force will have to get involved and then they will close down the camp. Then, the actual manager of the camp comes and greets the Joad family. Ma isn't to sure about what he wanted at first and wasn't sure whether or not he was a bad guy, but she soon came to realize that he was nice and respectful of the family. Ma gets comfort knowing that she is actually living in a place with kind and genuine people. The men go to find work while Ma and Rose of Sharon get ready for a "Ladies Committee" visit. Then an old religious woman comes over and puts the scare into Rose of Sharon. she says that women have started loosing their babies because of sinful things and that she should be careful. But Ma quickly stepped in and calmed her down. The Committee arrives and lets Ma and Rose of Sharon know about the rules of the camp and the "Sanitary Unit Number Four." Later when the men come home, jobless, Ma tells Pa that this is where they are going to stay and that its a great place for them to live. that gets them thinking about how great their life was in Oklahoma but then they realize that they don't live there anymore and they have to stop dwelling on the past, they can't control it anymore.

Themes:
everyone has a role - the men go out to find work as the women get caught up on the rules and things such as the "Sanitary Unit Number Four."

Importance of Land/home - Ma finally starts to get the feeling of what it used to be like because of how nicely they are being treated and it gives her a little sense/feeling of home.

"We" vs."I" - as soon as they get there they offer Tom a job. This shows the basic understanding that all the families are starving and in the need of a job and its important to help each other out.

New Characters:
Timothy and Wilkie Wallace - their new neighbors , they offer Tom a job.
crazy religious lady - puts a scare into Rose of Sharon

The Grapes of Wrath Chapter 21

Summary: people started flooding out to the highways like a swarm of bugs in search of something to feed on. these people are agrarian people who too have been pushed off their land by "Moloch" and his machines. An agrarian society is based on agriculture as its main support and sustenance. The society acknowledges other means of livelihood and work habits but stresses on agriculture and farming, and was the main form of socio-economic organization for most of recorded human history. as they continued westward they became starved and broke. the people who live in the towns that the on coming settlers approach are frightened because they think that these settlers will do work for any food to feed their family, whereas these current towns people need work and have debts to pay off so they don't want these new settlers coming in and taking their jobs. These "great owners" are coming in and buying the canneries (factories that process fruit, fish, and vegetables) and underbids the small farmers forcing them to go broke and then join the rest of the people in the fight against starvation and death. These "great owners" think that they can just continue to take advantage of all these poorer folks but they don't realize that soon enough they are going to snap and a certain desperation is going to come over them and they are going to start acting on the anger that is being forced upon them.

Themes:
Machines vs. nature
people vs. "Moloch"
anger - the people are starting to get angry that they keep getting everything taken away from them by the rich or the "great owners.

Symbols
bugs

This is a "bigger picture" chapter so there are no specific characters.

The Grapes of Wrath Chapter 20

Summary: The Joad family took Grandma’s body to the coroner and they buried her. Then the family sets up at the first camp outside of town and they meet a young man named Floyd Knowles. He talks to him about how the police harass the people at these camps and the travelers in general. The police will put people in jail if they think they are heading workers, and they will kill anyone who speaks wrongly about how unjust the law is. Later Casy tells Tom that he was going to split away from the family because he doesn’t want to be a bother to the family anymore but Tom insisted that he stays because he doesn’t think its safe for him to leave yet. Then Connie says he is going to leave and go study about tractors, and not come back. After they all eat then Tom and Al go and help Floyd. Then a man in a fancy car shows up and offers the men jobs picking fruit. Then Floyd tries to blackmail them so they say that he tried to break into their car and they try to arrest him. But Floyd hits the cop and runs. The deputy that is with him shoots at him but hits a woman. Then Tom trips him and is knocked unconscious by Casy. Tom hides because he is on parole and doesn’t want to go back to jail, and Casy takes the blame and turns himself in. when night roles around Tom hadn’t come back so Al went looking for him. Uncle John tells Ma and Pa that he had kept 5 dollars so he could get drunk, and they tell him its ok because, after all, it is his money. Finally Tom comes back and the family decides to pack up and move over to Weedpatch. As they were leaving the cops stopped them and they were ordered to go to Tulare. Tom gets pissed, but he is restrained by Ma, but then decides that that they have rights and freedoms and that the cops cant tell them what to do so Tom turns around and cuts through town and headed to Weedpatch like they had planned on. As they left the Hooverville was burning down.

Themes:

People vs. “Moloch” – the cops trying to arrest them and force them to do things which took away their rights, this also shows how corrupt the government was and the injustices that were being done.

Strength of family

Characters:

The Joad Family

Floyd Knowles - a young man in a neighboring tent of the Joad family who explains the harsh harassment tactics of the police.

The Grapes of Wrath Chapter 19

Summary: This a chapter about the bigger picture. It talks about how when the people first came to settle in California they were just wanting land, and they would do anything to get it, including taking control of all the Mexican natives and driving them out of their own land. Then farms and the demand for crops grew and it became a major industry. Now as the new settlers are coming to California, they have the same desires for land. However, now few hold the land and you aren’t allowed to farm even on a small strip of land without getting charged with trespassing. Hoovervilles where burned down for being a threat to the peoples health. Parents and children pay for food, but then the parents decide to stop praying and actually do something about it.

Themes:

People vs. “Moloch”

The Grapes of Wrath Chapter 18

Summary: the Joad family arrives in California and then several men go and bathe in the river. They decide they are going to cross the desert at night because it is too hot during the day. Grandma gets ill, however the big worry on everyone’s mind is how much money they have, and how long it is going to take them to get to California. When the men are in the water a man and his son come along and take a dip in the water as well. They tell them what life was like in California and about how none one from California wants them there, and how badly you are treated once you get there. The on traveling families are referred to as Okies. Then they all get out of the water and head to bed, but Noah tells Tom that he needs to separate from the family, and that he wont go on to California and that he will follow the river and fish for food. Then while Ma and Rose of Sharon are sleeping the cops come and tell them that they need to be gone by the morning, and that California didn’t want any more Okies settling in their town. Then Ma threatens him with a skillet and then he leaves. After being talked to by the cops the Joad family decides its best to move quickly, however the Wilson’s’ know that Sairy wont survive the trip so they decided to stay behind. On the drive they run into an agricultural inspectors wanted to check and see if they had any produce. Ma explains that Grandma is really sick and they need to get her to a doctor, so he lets her go on by. They continue to drive and then they come to a beautiful spot along the way and they all get out to take in the beauty of California. Then Ma tells them that Granma had died, before the inspectors stopped them.

Themes:

Importance of Family

Strength of Women

Importance of land

People vs. “Moloch” – causing people to move is killing them…literally

The Grapes of Wrath Chapter 17

Summary: this is more of a bigger picture chapter. As families move west they started creating their own communities with their own laws and rules. It starts with one family and then turns into 20 families until finally there is a community. The only difference however the family packs up and heads west on the road to California together.

Themes:

“We” vs. “I”

People vs. “Moloch”

The Grapes of Wrath Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Summary: The Joads and Ivy and Sairy travel together across Oklahoma to Texas, then through New Mexico. Roseasharn tells Ma that Connie wants to take classes and get a job in a factory. Ma really doesn’t want to split up the family though. Then Al realizes that a connecting rod is broken on the car. Tom suggests that a couple of the men stay behind and fix the car while the rest of the family goes onto California. Ma refuses and says that the family needs to stay together. She threatens to hit anyone who make them split up the family, so they all decide to stay together. Al and the rest of the family head over to a camp, while Tom and Casy find a new connecting rod. They went to a junkyard and bought a connecting rod and a socket wrench. They replace the rod and drive over to the camp. They wanted to charge Tom and Casy $50 to go in so instead they park outside and walk to meet their family. Then they all talked about what lies ahead for them in California.

Themes:

People vs. “Moloch”

Strength of women

Importance of family

Characters:

The Joad family

The One eyed man – a symbol of the fact that all the farmers are getting kicked off the land but they aren’t giving up, where as all this man has lost was an eye and he gave up. People vs. “Moloch.”

The Grapes of Wrath Chapter 15

Summary: this chapter switched between the bigger picture and more specific people. It talks about the burger joints along route 66, saying that Alyheru4 is like the generally silent person who does not acknowledge the people in the diners. Then there is Mae, who is the person behind the counter who is friendly and kind. As people with expensive cars and money head west and stop at these diners they manage to go in and piss off the women behind the counter because they don’t by anything and they complain and have the audacity to waste napkins when money is scarce as it is. (on a more specific note) Two truck drivers stop by a diner and while talking to Mae that explain an accident that they saw caused by a reckless driver. While this is going on a man and his two kids come in and ask for some bread. Mae doesn’t want to because the people traveling west aren’t the only ones who need to make a living, and she insists that they should buy a sandwich. But they only have so much to get them to California so Al just gets fed up and tells Mae to give them the bread, and then she ends up giving them two peppermint candies for a penny. Kind of like a domino affect, the truckers see the nice and selfless thing Mae did so they left a 35 cent tip. That shows how much doing the right thing and staying together during this hardship that everyone is facing is what its all about and nothing else can really compare, even money.

Themes:

People vs. “Moloch”, causing people to continue west and have a hard time making it, showing how scarce their money is.

“We” vs. “I” – people come together because they all know they are going through a hard time so they decide to try and stick together.

Characters:

The Truck drivers

Mae

Al

Men and Boys

The Grapes of Wrath Chapter 14

Summary: this chapter is the beginning of a social shift. The theme of “I” to “We” begins to increase. And the people of California started to worry about all the on coming travelers and they started to grow anxious. The people are unaware that the changes that are happening around them are the results of circumstances, not the causes. There are many causes, such as hunger, in millions not just in a few people, like it had been in the past and men had an actual desire to work and do something useful and be productive.

Themes:

Meaning of family

“We” vs. “I”

No specific characters

The Grapes of Wrath Chapter 13

Summary: the truck continues westward and eventually hits the paved highway. This makes Al worry about possible things that could cause the truck to breakdown. Al and Ma talk about what is going to happen when they get to California and Ma told Al that all that he needs to worry about is what is going on right now, and not what is in the future. They continued to drive until the sun went down and then they pulled over at a camp. They ended up camping next to a couple from Kansas whose car had broken down. The woman, Sarah or Sairy, was sick but her and her husband invited the Joad family in anyway. Then Grandpa get sick, suffers a stroke and dies. Since it costs 40 dollars to report someone dying, they decide to bury him during the night. Then Tom wrote down the cause of grandpa’s death on a page from the couple’s bible. Then, during supper, the couple talks about how Sairy being sick and their car troubles have slowed them down. So Al and Tom say they will fix their car and they suggest that the two families travel together. Sairy and Ivy refute the idea at first but then Ma convinced them that it was a good idea.

Themes:

Connection to Land

Machine vs. Nature (Car runs over the dog)

Meaning of family

Characters

Sairy and Ivy, a couple from Kansas

The Joad family

The Grapes of Wrath Chapter 12

Summary: this is a chapter is about the bigger picture. It talks about route 66, which was the main route taken by the travelers heading west. It stretched from Mississippi to Bakersfield, CA. As the travelers headed west on this road they worried about their vehicles breaking down and about them running out of food and money. But they continued on hoping that what they would find in California would lead to better lives.

Themes:

People vs. “Moloch”

No specific characters

The Grapes of Wrath Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Summary: (a poetic chapter) All the Tenant farmer’s house are empty. The only living things left are the people who run the tractors. There is a comparison between the horse and tractor saying that a horse continually lives, even after a day’s work however a tractor dies once the motor is shut off. (This represents the theme of Nature vs. Machine). Eventually the land will become completely vacant and the only creatures or life that will disturb the dust that covers the land will be the wild animals, the wild animals mind you that are not being controlled by “Moloch.”

Themes:

· Nature vs. Machine

· People vs. “Moloch”

No specific characters

The Grapes of Wrath Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Summary: Tom and Ma talk about what they will be doing when they get to California, such as working of fruit farms picking fruit and working in the shade, and they talk about how much it sounds too good to be true. Then Casy asks if he can ride with the family and go west with them, and Ma says it is all right with her, but when the “Council” gets together tonight she will let them decide. Then the truck returns to the house and Ruthie, Winfield, Rose of Sharon, Pa, Uncle John ad Al all get out of the truck and are all happy to see Tommy again. However they are discouraged because they only got 18 dollars for all their belongings and household items. Later that evening the “council” met outside the truck. They talked about letting the preacher come along. And they decided it was a good Idea to have a preacher on the trip incase there was a wedding or a death. Then they start getting all packed up for the trip, by slaughtering the pigs and salt-packing the pork into barrels and then load the rest of the belongings into the truck. The truck is ready by the next morning. In the morning before they leave Muley Graves comes to see them off, however, Grandpa decides he doesn’t want to leave and starts refusing. So Ma puts sleep medicine in his coffee which knocks him out fast. He gets loaded into the back of the truck and then they take off. They all watch their home disappear into the distance.

Themes:

· The importance of the land to the people (it was hard for them to leave their home and they all watched it as they drove away)

· The importance of family (they wont let grandpa stay behind)

· People vs. “Moloch” (they could only get $18 for all there household items and belongings)

Nature vs. Machine (the car is what is most important to the family now, not the land)

Characters:

· Pa

· Ma

· Uncle John

· Muley Graves

· Connie

· Rosasharn

· Ruthie

· Winfield

· Al

· Casy

· Tom

The Grapes of Wrath Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Summary: This is a chapter that refers to the bigger picture in the book. The Tenants have to decide what belongings they get to take with them and what ever they decide they can’t take with them have to be sold for very cheap prices. People try and bargain for the tenants personal belongings and they don’t realize what some of the items mean to the people. They are able to get the belongings for way lower then usual prices because they know the desperateness of the farmers and they know how much they need to sell the items in order to move west. What ever the Tenants couldn’t sell had to be burned. Realizing that all their belongings and items that meant a lot to them had been sold or burned made them want to leave quickly.

Themes:

· We vs I

· People vs Molach

No specific characters.

The Grapes of Wrath Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Casy and Tom leave for Uncle John's house early in the morning. While walking, Tom tells Casy about Uncle john on their walk. He tells him that he was married once but then his wife ad a stomach ache and he said that she was fine, but then she died of appendicitis and he blamed himself for it for years. Then they approach Uncle John’s house and they see that they are getting ready to head west. Then Tom surprises Pa and they plan a surprise on Ma who is cooking breakfast. Both the parents suspect that “Tommy” broke out of jail, but he reassures them that he didn’t. Tom is angry that they have been forced from their home, but Ma cautions him that he can't fight the bank alone. She Figures that if they are all angry and they ban together, then the bank wont be able to stop them. Then they sit and eat breakfast and he is reunited with his Grandpa and Grandma. Grandma makes Casy Say Grace even though he isn’t a preacher anymore and they wont eat until he says Amen. He is also reunited with his Brother Noah who looks up to him. He learns that his younger brother, Al, is out chasing girls, and Rose of Sharon, his younger sister, is now married to Connie Rivers, she is pregnant. And the two youngest in the Joad Family, Winfield who is 10 and Ruthie who is 12, have gone to Sallisaw with Uncle John to sell a load of household belongings. Once they get everything sold they should have about $150 for their trip and they decide they will be leaving in a couple days.

Characters:

Grandpa – hilarious old man

Grandma – super religious

Noah – oldest son, an impression that he is deformed, but we don’t know how. He is quiet and not interested in anything.

Al – he is 16, out chasing girls, younger brother, the mechanic, he looks up to Tom because he killed someone and that makes him cool.

Rose of Sharon – younger, sister, pregnant, married to Connie Rivers..

Ruthie – younger sister

Winfield – Youngest Brother

Uncle John

Pa Joad

Ma Joad

Tom Joad

Jim Casy – become the first member of the extended family.

Themes:

Importance of family

Words of the day

Zenith - anna's anger reached its zenith when danny wrecked her brand new car.

Scuttle - anna scuttled along the street in an effort to make it to the store to get candy before it closed.

Declivity - the Declivity of anna's effort in school made it hard for her to pass.

Bemuse - anna's constantly bemused face in english class started to get on fielding's nerves.

The Grapes of Wrath Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Summary: this was one of the poetic chapters and one of the "bigger picture" chapters. Once again the Farmers who have been mistreated and kicked off their land are facing worsening prospects. They are trying to sell anything thing that they have left such as household goods so they can buy cars and transportation to carry them west. A salesman does well to sell them barely running jalopies at way higher than usual prices so he can make a large profit. He manages to make them seem like good cars by pouring sawdust into the engines to make them sound like they are running good. And even though the tenants realize they are being taken advantage of, they are no other options and there are no better cars around that they can afford so they have to settle with the piece of crap cars this salesman is selling.

Characters: (this is one of the bigger picture chapters so there aren’t real characters just some random ones that don’t matter)

· Jim

· Joe

· Salesman (fast talking B.S.er)

Theme

· People vs. “Moloch”: I would say this could be a theme in this chapter because it was because of Moloch that they were kicked off their land and it was because of the Monster as well. And because they were kicked off their land they had to buy these crappy cars so they could continue to move west so they could try and start their lives over again and gain some more land. And it shows the struggle the people are having because of Moloch.

The Grapes of Wrath Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Summary: Casy and Tom went to the Joad house and they see that the fences were taken away and that the cotton was growing all over the place. And then they see that the house is all pushed out of shape and they check to see if the Joad family had left Joad a note but there isn’t one so they realize the house was just deserted. Then They are sitting out on the porch and Tom remembers he still had the turtle with him, so he un wraps the turtle and lets him go, and he heads off in the same direction he was going when Tom picked him up. Then they see Muley Graves approaching them, and Tom demands to know if he knows where his folks are. He says that they got pushed off the land and they are staying with Uncle John. Muley’s family went to California with out him because he was unable to leave the land that he grew up on. Then Muley has them eat dinner with him and he talks about how hard and different it has been living alone and it make Casy realize that what he needs to do is go on the road and comfort all the other deprived people. Where as Tom realized that he would be breaking his parole if he goes out of state with his family. That a car pulls up and the three of them hide so they wont get busted for “trespassing.” Then they go hide and sleep in a small cave and they plan to move to Uncle John’s the next day.

Characters:

· Casy

· Tom

· Muley Graves

· Willy freely - the tractor man/deputy - sheriff/the man owned by the bank - the $3.00 a day man

Themes:

· We vs. I

· The importance of the land to the people (Muley stayed on the land he grew up on instead of going with his family because he didn’t want the monster to take it away from him.

· The Importance of family (Tom is determined to get reunited with his family)

Words of the day

Rivulet - the rivulet ran along the train track and all the tourists awed in its beauty as they rode by in the train.

Germinate - Jayce germinated in to a potty mouth after hanging out with rori to much.

Words of the day

Anna's Pique attitude about failing english caused her to lash out, which landed her in detention.

Although Polly had an imperturbably personality, Jayce still knew how to get under her skin and make her angry.