The Grapes of Wrath - 3

John Steinbeck incorporated many themes in his book, The Grapes of Wrath. However, the theme that really stand out to me is hope. Much of his book talks of unity, although I do not think that he ever uses the word 'unity' in his book, but he eludes to it all throughout the novel. Hope is also something seen throughout this entire book and it is hidden within the words of every page. The reader can see hope shining through and can sense hope as they turn each page.

The book begins with unity when Tom Joad returns home from four years of prison. His family is happy to see him and welcomes him back in as if he was never gone. Immediately after Tom returned home, the twelve members of the Joad family, as well as the preacher, left to travel to California. All throughout their journey on route 66 to California, the family remained together as one unit. Along the way, grandpa died, Noah decided to make a living on his own, and Grandma died, but overall the family remains in unity throughout the journey. At times, it is not easy for them to remain in unity. It would have been so much easier for them to make the money to each feed themselves, but instead they stayed together as a family and took care of each other.

After a police officer killed Jim Casy, Tom was enraged and struck the police officer. After this, Tom had to go into hiding, or he would have been sent to prison. Word got out that Tom was hiding by one of the camps, so Tom had to flee. Before he left, Tom quoted part of a Bible verse to his ma. Tom told her,

"Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lif' up his fellow, but woe to him that is alone when he falleth, for he hath not another to help him up." (Steinbeck 418)

That verse shows how Tom feels about unity. He thinks people should stick together and pull through together to help each other out. After all, it was one of his last words before he left his family.

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