Grapes Of Wrath Awakening Of Tom Joad

Essay, Research Paper

Grapes of Wrath: Awakening Of Tom Joad

Grapes of Wraith by John Steinbeck portrayed the awakening of a man’s

conscience dealing with his troubling trials throughout the novel. The character

that goes through this monumental change is Tom Joad, son of two tenant farmers

from Oklahoma. Tom’s conscience was changed from a loner who cared nothing about

the people to a hardy leader of them. He first looked after his family on their

trip that evolved into including the impoverished migrant farmers in California.

At the beginning of the novel Tom Joad has just been paroled after

spending four years in a state prison. He stops at a roadside cafe looking for a

ride when he sees a truck with a “No Riders” sticker on it. Tom’s conversation

with this trucker is his first witness to the suppression of an honest working

man by the larger more wealthy corporations since his release from prison. The

trucker tries to socialize with him at this point but Tom is too absorbed into

his own interest in keeping to himself.

Arriving at his house with Jim Casey, Tom visits the abandoned house

with one corner having been knocked in by a tractor. His family had been

compelled to leave their land through repossession by the large corporations

another example in Tom’s life how the larger are trying to control the less

fortunate. This land had been his family’s source of pride and livelihood

throughout his life with them and it’s loss was the first sizable impact on

Tom’s conscience that would lead him to an awakening.

After visiting the land the Joad family had lived on for many years Tom

and Jim traveled to his uncle John’s house nearby. There Tom meets his family as

they are making preparations to leave for California. Tom’s family has already

sold off every valuable possession they own while living under cramped

conditions on old and soiled mattresses in a house not built to accommodate the

size of the entire family. Tom realizes that a family cannot survive under these

destitute conditions unless they cling together as one unit. Because of this

realization Tom becomes protective of his family, leaving casting off portions

of his selfishness for the betterment of his relatives.

Tom’s final awakening comes when he meets Jim Casy for the final time

outside a work camp in the midst of a strike. There Jim Casy tells Tom that the

only way the worker’s can obtain law and order as well as, fair wages, is to

unite all the migrant workers together and fight against the larger controlling

companies. The statement is driven home when he witnesses Jim Casy’s passive

resistance in response to the threatened violence by the cops. As the police

advance on Jim Casy he yells towards them, ” Listen, you fellas don’ know what

you’re doin’. You’re helpin’ to starve kids.” moments before his head is

brutally crushed by a pick handle. Enraged by the actions unfolded before him

Tom grabs a pick handle and clubs one of the officers to death before hastily

fleeing from the scene.

This event finally made possible the awakening of Tom Joad. He

recognized that if a common man were to ever get a fair chance to live their

life, they would be forced to do so under a united cause. Tom’s awakening came

slowly as he struggled to understand the toils of needing, not only to care for

his family but organize the migrant workers into a force where they can achieve

fair rights. During the final chapters of the novel Tom recognizes the

importance of Jim Casy’s work to unify the people bringing about a final

awakening of his conscience.