Blog #11-Analysis of Ma Joad (The Grapes of Wrath)

Mother Joad is probably the most significant character in the story. Towards the beginning of the story, she is one of the shyest characters. She knows her place in the family is to cook, clean, and care for the children. She stands proudly beside her husband and watches as he makes all of the decisions. As the story later progresses, Ma Joad finds an inner strength within herself (Steinbeck 169). She learns she can stand up against her husband. Ma Joad is a very determined character. She knows what she wants and she thinks of ways in which she can achieve her goal. Ma knows how to care for the family very well (Steinbeck 351). She explains how the family has to eat and drink and at all costs, and she always finds money or something to cook so her family does not starve and so Rose of Sharon can have a healthy baby. Her truth strength really comes out in the story as problems progress along the trip. She shows how her care and her reassurance helps to move the family along to California. The reader can tell that Ma Joad has emotions and feelings, but she does a very good job at hiding them in the story. When the grandmother dies, she laid by the corpse of the grandma so the family could continue their journey. Although the death hits her kind of hard, she realizes she has to be strong so the family can continue on their way. She meets every circumstance with a sense of power and pride. Even if she doesn’t think she can solve a problem, she spends all of her time trying. I respected her in the novel because in the time period of the story the male was the center of the family and in charge of making the decisions, but when he started slacking, she picked up the pace. It was very nice to see a woman able to take charge. Overall, she was the center and the strength for the family. It was because of her that the family was able to make it to California and overcome the challenges that came with the travelling.

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York. Viking Penguin Inc. 1939