The Grapes of Wrath - 16

There were many characters in the book The Grapes of Wrath and I believe that each character represented something particular. I think each character stood for something other than themselves, they represented a people group, a generation, or a movement.

I believe that Ma Joad represents the women's rights movement. As Pa was not stepping up to his position of authority in the family, Ma filled in by stepping into that position herself. For that time period, most women did not have the audacity to make such a bold move, bud Ma did. During the 1930's more and more women started stepping up in their positions of authority at home and started to want more power and more of an official role of authority, and I think that is what Ma Joad represents.

I think Ruthie and Winfield represent all of the poor children in the country at that time. There were many migrant children that could not go to school and get an education because their family was migrating. And when the families did finally get to California, out of the kids that actually did get to go to school, most of them were bullied and not wanted in the schools because they were poor "Okies". Ruthie and Winfield represented all of the poor children in the United State of America.

I think Al represented teenagers during the 1930's. Al was a common teenage boy. He did not want the Great Depression to happen and he spent most of his time wishing that it would not be happening rather than facing the facts that it was happening. Al also spent a lot of his time chasing after girls. Al would rather go off with a girl than help his family. He wanted an escape from the Depression and did not want to have the responsibility of helping his family. Al represents most American teenagers.

I think granma and granpa represented the elderly and weak people. They were both very old and grandpa did not want to leave his land. He was very stubborn, just like many of the people in the older generation during the Depression were.

Pa Joad represented the farmers during the depression. There were thousands of small farm owners who got their land taken away from them by big farms with tractors. Pa was not in control of this situation and it left him in a place where he could not provide for his family. This was the same situation that thousands of men around the country were in. Pa represents all of those men.

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2002. Print.