Grapes Of Wrath Gender Roles

The Grapes of Wrath follows Tom Joad and his family during the Dust Bowl and Great Depression. The family is forced to leave their home in Oklahoma and make the difficult journey to California, hoping for a better life. The family travels with thousands of other migrant families trying to find hope, land, jobs, and a dependable future. The author, John Steinbeck, was an American novelist who wrote other famous novels such as Of Mice and Men and East of Eden. In this novel, Ma’s character symbolizes a change in the original roles that women had during the time. Ma stays strong and unifies her family, becomes their leader, and develops her character as a whole. In The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, gender roles are not shown traditionally

Ma was able to agree to work for that man right away and did not talk about it with her family. Ma was confident in her decision and knew that it was the best route for their family. At the beginning of the novel, Ma has a more submissive role and does what women would do at this time. Comparing the two quotes shows how Ma has changed roles for her family and how she has grown as a character. Ma learned to do what was best for her family and understood that she has the power to make decisions for them. Steinbeck portrays this growth in Ma to show that women could be more than what was thought of them. This novel showcased a new perspective on women's roles in the world and gave them hope for their futures. Ma’s development throughout the novel has shown how much women had to change during the time and the sacrifice they showed. In John Steinbeck’s novel, The Grapes of Wrath, traditional gender roles are not shown when Ma keeps the family together, becomes an authoritative figure in the family, and develops her character during the story. For many, many years the roles of men and women were set in stone. It was seen as weird if a woman did a man's job or if a man stayed at home while a woman worked. However, in this novel, Ma was able to overcome the stereotypical gender roles of the time. She did what was best for her family and looked past what she was “supposed” to be doing. This gave many women a new perspective on how they could live their lives and be more than the roles they used to play. Steinbeck uses Ma’s character to show change for women and how they could overcome the norms of