A large number of migrant family moved westward from California during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s due to the harsh living conditions in their former residences. It was not just the families that suffered, but the individuals as well. The Grapes of Wrath depicts Tom, Casy and Ma, three migrant workers, in their personal struggles.
Tom Joad is a character with a very interesting past, and this leads to him changing a lot by the end. Tom’s self-centered character is introduced as we start the novel. Tom says his four years of prison taught him how to live in the present because the past is unpredictable. By the end, however, he has shifted his mentality to one more focused on the present. Tom has to face hardships and hostile people on his journey west. Prison looks easy. Tom is forced to witness the deaths of Grampa, Granma, and his own family. He must also watch them starve, beg, and suffer when they reach California. Tom learns from Jim Casy that he cannot change the whole world by himself. He needs a team. This helps Tom avoid becoming one of the selfish migrants who are willing to steal bread from other families. Tom’s biggest challenge was realizing that his family would only survive if he focused more on the present. However, it took two of his loved ones to make him realize this.
Jim Casy has a fascinating character, because he is like Jesus Christ. They share the same initials. Jim Casy says “…Maybe we all love men and women; perhaps that’s what the Holy Sperit is – human sperit. It’s interesting that he suggests there is no god, but that all men share a single soul. Casy made the suffering of migrant workers his main problem. Jim Casy was able to observe the struggles not just of his own family but all migrant families. At the start of the journey, he wants to do everything he can to stop this suffering. However, despite his passion for helping others, he doesn’t have any idea how to utilize his skills as a spiritual healer and speaker to make a difference. Casy becomes so determined to save the workers that he risks his life in order to achieve his goal. Jim Casy’s role in The Grapes of Wrath is crucial because he helps Tom and the other migrant laborers overcome their struggles.
Ma Joad also plays a major role in the story. She is the glue which holds the family together, especially as Pa Joad’s leadership begins to diminish. Ma Joad is not just a family member, she also holds the struggles of her entire family. Ma’s emotional strength is best demonstrated when her Granma dies and she rides in silence, never letting her family know her pain because they have to finish the journey. Ma is determined that the rest her family remain together, even though both her mother’s and father’s deaths occurred on the journey. Ma, like Casy, had more problems than just her own. But they were also different in that Ma had to keep together her entire family.
John Steinbeck’s portrayal of some of these challenges through Tom, Casy, Ma, was incredible. The Grapes of Wrath could have been used to describe the struggles of migrant workers who read the book at the writing time.
