Farm life completely transforms in Chapter 19. It is no longer depicted as a way of living, but rather as a way of survival. This change ultimately leads to the themes of greed and fear that are portrayed throughout the rest of the novel. As more families continue to migrate into California, the locals become more alert. Who are these new people coming onto our land; what do they want; how will it affect us all? These questions linger through the Californians’ minds. Okies and migrants are consistently treated with hostility and resentment by the locals. Most of them are shovelled off into Hoovervilles, which are the settling grounds for homeless migrants who were fooled by the “promise” of California. The three great facts of history mentioned in The Grapes of Wrath are: property is taken away …show more content…
Though the boxcars provide the family with shelter, they are forced to share the space with another family named the Wainwrights. Along with shelter, the two families are also given the exciting opportunity to work in the cotton fields. After mulling over Casy’s words of wisdom about spirit, Tom decides to unify his soul with the “great soul.” He plans on doing this by organizing the migrants, and believes it is what Casy would have wanted. Ma tries to convince Tom to stay, but lets Tom go with a goodbye.
In Chapter 29 of The Grapes of Wrath, rain pours down on the land. The rain poses huge inconvenience for the migrants; they cannot work, harvest, and flooding occurs. On the third day of rain, a sick Rose of Sharon goes into labor. The truck is flooded by the rain and they have no choice but to stay in the boxcar. The Joads come together to build a makeshift dam. It is eventually destroyed by the weather conditions, but it still gave them a sense of purpose and teamwork. Ma is the glue that hold the Joads together. She knows that if they stick together and preserve that they will all be