Tractors, fields, and open prairie are some of the common sights of the Midwest. It is hard to imagine a time when this land was not so picturesque. During the Great Depression, a severe drought struck the Midwest. In tangent with numerous other factors, many land owners had to push their tenants off the land in order to avoid bankruptcy. In Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath, the Joad family experiences these hardships of the depression. When Tom Joad Jr. is released from McAlester prison, he finds his family’s home deserted and in the middle of a cotton field. He meets a few of the people he knew before jail, and discovers his family now takes residence with Uncle John and are making plans to leave for California. The land where there …show more content…
This is an important lesson because when people do not have much, they have each other. Tom learns this soon after arriving home, when he is rejoiced with a fanfare of trumpets. ☺(Hyperbole) They family, including Gramps, realize the importance of family sticking together. When struggles arise, the family is always there and offers all their support. When the car breaks down, the family does not get upset with Tom, but helps him fix it. If he was not with the people who loved him most, he might not have had the same experience. When Tom dines with Muley, he realizes the importance of family when he learns that Muley is separated from his kin. Since Muley is a broken man every since his wife and family moved without him, Tom understands the importance keeping a family together. When Tom comes home, he asks, “Where is Grampa? I ain’t seen that ol’ devil” (Steinbeck 97). Because of Tom Jr.’s excitement to see his grandfather, one can say with stark certainty he understands the importance of united family. In addition, when an important decision needs to be made, all family members are present to discuss the matter and method of approach. All of these factors cement the importance of keeping family members together, as seen in The Grapes of