The Grapes of Wrath ch.26-end

bvvvvvvIn the beggining of chapter 26 i get the vibe that the men don't really seem to care that they're poor and starving, they are sitting around thinking. At one point of the men says that a job they were offered just didn't seem right so he didn't take it. If your family is starving and in poverty don't you think youd take any job to get your kids fed? He didn't even try the job on, he could've went in for at least one day and left afterwards if it was bad.

On page 352 Pa says "Time was when a man said what we'd do. Seems like women is tellin' now. Seems like it's purty near time to get out a stick." This is showing the theme of male dominance fading away. Up untill this point the men have been dominant and the women were more submissive, but now Ma is the head of the family and Pa doesn't really have a place anymore.

I wondered if Ruthie and Winfield, or even the whole joad family was educated, but then Ma stated something about them going to school when they get the money. The kids retorted that they don't want to go to school because the kids there are mean and stuck up. The rest of the family doesn't seem to have a good education, if any at all, they just survive on "street smarts" and thier knowledge of the world.

On page 375 the theme of ownership comes up again. Ma went to the store and is trying to buy food. The food there is overpriced and Ma knows it, the clerk and Ma share a few heated words and the clerk says there is nothing he can do about the prices. He says that Hooper Ranches, Icorporated owns it and they set the prices. They can set the prices as high as they want because it's their store. Ma runs out of money and still needs sugar, the guy eventually lends he a dime to get the sugar with and she realizes he's not the bad guy, he's just trying to make a living too. Ma says "... go to poor people. They're the only ones that'll help."

Casy ended up being the leader in the strike. The guys who went there to work were said to get five cents a box but only got two and a half per box. I figured earlier in the book that either Tom or Casy would lead the rebellion and Casy ended up dying for the cause. Jesus Christ, JC, Jim Casy. Casy is like the Jesus figure, he was always sacrificing himself for others even though he didn't do anything wrong.

When Ma met with Tom at his hideout Tom started speaking about Casy, he brought up the theme of unity again like Casy usually did. He talked about how everyone has a little piece of a grand soul. He was inspired by what Casy had done, he revolted, organized, unified. He died for a good cause and Tom wasn't gonna let that cause become lost. Tom is going to go back to the Government camp and organize the campers there. He's going to lead the revolution.

I wonder what the rain after the meeting could symbolize. A new beggining, hope?

Pa has realized on page 423 that he isn't the head anymore, that Ma is the head. He seems to have given up on thier life and family. This reminds me of how Grampa acted when he was separated from is place, the land. Pa just does what he is told now and doesn't really have a say in family affairs. The famil structure has fallen apart.

Rose of Sharon seemed to have become depressed after she heard the news that Al and Aggie are going to get married. She wanted to get married to Connie and now that Al is getting married Connie being gone has really set in and she's accepted that he's probably not comi6ng back. I think she feels that she is in the way now so she decides to go and pick cotton.

The rain is back. Still wondering what it could stand for...

Rose of Sharon is sick, i think the baby is going to come soon, maybe the rain could represent the baby.