Grapes Of Wrath Essay

In the novel “The Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck, the author discusses socio-economic issues in society. The story is centered around the Joad family, who have been kicked off of their land and must move to California to survive. Throughout their journey, the Joad’s encounter problems with their vehicle, authority, and housing conditions as well as losing family members along this journey. The novel depicts common issues that arise from living in a capitalistic society. Steinbeck does an impeccable job of exploring whether being confrontational is a virtue or a flaw in the main character, Tom Joad. Tom’s confrontational nature is explored through his interactions with others, as well as his life choices. Tom’s confrontational personality

This house has lots of sentimental value to Tom because he grew up in it, and he did not want to lose it. It also becomes apparent that Tom dislikes capitalist society; it is good that he is willing to fight for what he believes in; however, there are certain times when it is better to avoid conflict. Many farmers have lost their houses, but Tom believes that all the farmers should fight for their land together, so that the bank “wouldn’t hunt nobody down” (Steinbeck 64). The Joad’s losing their house demonstrates how Tom’s confrontational nature has consequences that can affect others. This demonstrates that his confrontational trait is a flaw at this point in the story. Tom often demonstrated disregard for any type of authority, his confrontational personality often leads to trouble. The Joad family decides to stay at a roadside camp for the night, while they make their trip to California. However, Tom refuses to pay the proprietor, which leads to an argument. Tom would rather “sleep in the ditch” than pay the proprietor. Tom decides to leave his car on the roadside so that he will not have to pay the fee because the family were charged money per

Avoiding confrontation is best for Tom, so that he does not draw too much attention. Tom’s inability to carefully consider the potential consequences of his actions demonstrates that being confrontational is a flaw. As the story progresses, it becomes apparent that when Tom’s confrontational nature is directed towards a good purpose, it becomes a virtue. Casy, a friend of Tom, was a communist and led a protest against the government. As a result of this, people killed Casy to prevent the spread of his communist ideology. Casy was killed in front of Tom, which led Tom to react and kill Casy’s murderer. Tom swung a pick so that a “crushing blow found the head” of Casy’s murderer (Steinbeck 315). This demonstrates that when Tom’s confrontational nature is well directed, it is a virtue. Since Tom killed Casy’s murderer, this is representative of Tom fighting oppression in society. As a result of being oppressed, the Joad’s lost their house, so Tom attempts to help people that are in a similar situation as he was. Tom was able to avenge Casy’s death, demonstrating that in certain situations, being confrontational is