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Patriarchy And Materarchy In The Grapes Of Wrath

1639 Words7 Pages

The shift between patriarchy and matriarchy was prevalent throughout the Great Depression, and was a key theme within Stienbeck’s novel, The Grapes of Wrath. In the early days of the depression it was common for the family to look to the older men, whether it be for life-changing or simple decisions. The hierarchy of the patriarchal system usually left the women and their opinions near or on the bottom of this ladder. This was a vast difference between the two systems and patriarchy left the women dependent on the men, and many lost their independence. However, many families realized that a patriarchal society was not going to ensure their survival until the end of these tough times, and so they turned to their mothers and women of the family. …show more content…

“As the older men sink into ineffectiveness and despondency, family authority shifts to Ma Joad” (Motley, 9). Ma restored the matriarchy system and its values within the family and their community of migrant families. She knows that keeping the family together throughout the migration is crucial if they want a chance at living the lives that they wish for. Without Ma the household would crumble as she is the glue that holds them together as one. “She seemed to know that if she swayed the family shook, and if she ever really deeply wavered or despaired the family would, the family will to function would be gone” (Steinbeck, 100). All of the family members know that Ma’s role in their family is vital to them being able to survive on their journey to California. As the group continues to move farther and farther away from the place that they call home, Ma gains more and more influence within the Joad family. Ma does not have the need to rule over everyone but she is forced into the role of making important decisions, as she is the only one able to to focus on the family’s best interests at that moment. (Keane, 42). Without Ma’s shift into authority the family would not survive, and she is aware of this so she steps up and provides for the …show more content…

Ma Joad guides Rose of Sharon throughout the novel, and later learns how to carry on what Ma Joad lives by. In the final scene of, The Grapes of Wrath, Rose of Sharon provides her milk to a dying man, even though she is going through the loss of her stillborn baby. Steinbeck makes it clear that this scene proves that Rose of Sharon is ready to flourish as the matriarch of the family and carry on what Ma believed in (Bhattarai, 49). Rose of Sharon finally embraces the role of the matriarch and understands the necessity of the new social organization. Tom Joad also grasps the idea of the matriarchy system, and shares it in his own way. Even though Tom does separate from the family, he is helping out the whole society by sharing the values of community and the significance of togetherness (Bharttarai, 41). He is helping everyone realize that it is better to be a unit then compete against one

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During the great depression, the midwest underwent a long drought. Exposed dry earth swept away with the wind and caused huge dust storms that prolonged the dry weather. With the lowered selling prices and the lack of crops the farmers had some major economic trouble. In Black Blizzard and John Steinbeck 's Grapes of Wrath, the literature develops the ideas of the poor distribution of wealth within the populations and the social aspects of people of different economic class. Social differences arise in the wealthy, the employed, and the unemployed throughout this period of hardship.

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The tone of chapter 11 in John Steinbeck's, “The Grapes of Wrath,” is sympathetic, sad and hopeless. His word choice and syntax show how the sad houses were left to decay in the weather. His use of descriptive words paints a picture in the reader's mind. As each paragraph unfolds, new details come to life and adds to the imagery. While it may seem unimportant, this intercalary chapter shows how the effects of the great depression affected common households.

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This was exemplified when her mother was in the hospital, and she had to live with her aunt because her father was unable to emotionally care for his family the way her mother did (Moraga, 391). Moraga appreciates the role her mother had played in her life and looks up to her. This relation to her mother helped her form her own

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Tom’s sixteen-year-old brother, Al Joad, is described as a handsome boy who takes a liking to both cars and girls. He was responsible for driving his family to California and received much admiration and respect from his family because of his mechanical knowledge. Connie Rivers, husband of Rose of Sharon, rides with the family until their arrival at California. He proves himself extremely selfish when he abandons his wife and unborn child.

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While an open form of dialogue emphasizes a connection and openness of situation it also lacks a specific aspect that can make it hard to understand. This lack of information is balanced with the Joad family whose interactions give more depth to Steinbeck’s representation of the Great Depression. The balance between a broader and specific description and portrayal of experiences create a more complete story that has a better chance of connecting with the

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In “The Grapes of Wrath,” John Steinbeck makes Ma Joad the leader of the family to convey she is one main heroes of the novel. Ma Joad is a Catalyst Hero because she would sacrifice herself for any of the other family members. Throughout the novel, Ma does not change that much. She is always trying to keep the family from doing any foolish actions.

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(Steinbeck 144) Ma Joad displays the similarity between her and Virgin Mary through her strength and selflessness. At the time the Joads were crossing into California, she keeps quiet about Grandmas death and rides along with her dead body the whole night. This actions suggests that Ma thinks of the family as an unit that must always stick together, her sense of honesty since she tells Grandma directly that she can’t be helped, and her own appreciation of beauty, especially seen in her remarks about burying

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In The Grapes Of Wrath, By John Steinbeck, the ending is very controversial in many ways, the most obvious ways though are fundamentally wrong, morally wrong, and just how depressing it is. Since the book came out in 1939, everyone has had a opinion on the ending to John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath. Michael Harmon once said, “The ending can be seen two ways, as a tool for people to recognize the poverty and destruction at that time, or as a way to get more citizens to read the book”. It has a very controversial ending, that Steinbeck thought would name the last nail into the coffin, so to speak, on how bad the dust bowl and moving west really was. Ma and Rose of Sharon look at each other and they agree that Rose of Sharon should use her milk, that she doesn’t need because her baby was stillborn, and feed this old man.

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Intercalary Chapter Literary Analysis During the Great Depression, the nation as a whole was stripped of financial security and forced into a survivalist way of living. This changed the ways that people interacted with one another and the overall mentality of society. In the Grapes of Wrath, the Joad family is torn from their land and find themselves with nothing, a common story for migrant farmers of that time, derogatorily called “Okies” by Californians. But this is not the only group that is struggling, the entire county was in a state of panic and bruteness, no matter how “well off” they seemed to be.

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Though they were living in the shelter, Tom, Johnny's father, continued to work to support the family. Classy, Johnny’s mother did not work outside the home but maintained the family by monitoring the children, driving Tom to and from work. Johnny’s family was the largest, with six. His father Tom did not let his situation determine his fate. Tom was the head of the family.

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John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath has a very diverse group of characters. One way they are diverse is the way they develop over the course of the novel. Specifically, Ma Joad's character was very family oriented. When Tom Joad came home, she was so excited to have everyone together to go to California. Therefore, she wanted everyone to stay together as a family.

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In The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck follows the Joad family as they suffer the hardships caused by the Dust Bowl in the 1930’s. The most important lesson people can learn from the novel is the value of a human life. Although the 1930’s was a low point in American society, the ill-treatment of human beings is still relevant today. Just like Jim Casy’s philosophy, it is important to fight for the rights of the people and their dignity. There are several examples of oppression in The Grapes of wrath.

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In a family there are many different roles; there's the role of the mother, the father, the child, the grandparents, then there’s the brothers and sisters. Every single one of those roles has different responsibilities. The father, according to most of society, is supposed to be the breadwinner for the family. However, nowadays the mother is actually quite capable of being the breadwinner just as much of as the father. As they work to show their children what it is to be an adult they are teaching them as well on how to be an active member of society.

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