In the Grapes of Wrath, two women appear in the beginning of the novel and was continuously having an active part of the story. As the story progresses, it has shown that the men slowly start to lose hope while strong women appear. Ma Joad and Rose of Sharon being to show a more dependable side to them to help keep the family together.
Ma Joad was portrayed as the strong wife and mother she was in the Joad family. She valued the family more than she did herself, and because of this helped keep the family stable and together. One example of this was when Ma Joad went against Pa to keep the family together. She told Pa that he would have to whip her to get her to go, “The whole group watched the revolt. They watched Pa, waiting for him to break
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She never doubted her husband when he said that California had plenty there for them even though he has never been there before. Her faith remained strong even after her husband left, she believed that he would return, but he never did. She then started to lose faith when she finally realized the family’s living conditions and was constantly worried of the baby’s health. In the end the baby did not survive, and she was left with about a baby and husband. As for her final act in the novel, she selflessly did what she needed to help out the man that was suffering from malnutrition. Ma Joad told everyone to leave the barn for rose of Sharon, “For a minute Rose of Sharon sat still in the whispering barn. Then she hoisted her tired body up and drew the comfort around her. She moved slowly to the corner and stood down at the wasted fact, into the wide, frightened eyes. Then slowly she lay down beside him. He shook his head slowly from side to side. Rose of Sharon loosened one side of the blanket and bared her breast. “You go to,” she said. She squirmed closer and pulled his head close. “There!” she said. “There.” Her hand moved behind his head and supported it. Her fingers moved gently in his hair. She looked up and across the barn, and her lips came together and smiled mysteriously” (Steinbeck 313). This shows that women back then were selfless and found solutions to problems that arose. It