Grapes of Wrath Theme

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The Grapes of Wrath Themes “The Grapes of Wrath” encompasses many themes that will remain true and universal in all eras of life. Themes derived from “The Grapes of Wrath” are “Leadership is not a characteristic exclusively found in men”, “greed overshadows consideration”, and “family transcends blood, and encompasses friendship and relationships’’. All of the themes mentioned above are explored deeply and thoroughly throughout the book and are things everyone encounters in life. The first theme explored by the “The Grapes of Wrath” is one of gender and leadership. Traditionally males are the leader of the home. “The women knew it was all right, and the watching children knew it was all right. Women and children knew deep in themselves that no misfortune was too great to bear if their men were whole.” this portrays how the families have assumed the role forced upon them by society. “Pa said, “Well, if thats the way she’s gonna go, we better get a-shovin’. We can maybe squeeze in a hundred miles ‘fore we stop.” Ma stepped in front of him. “I ain’t a-gonna go” This shows that when people are taken out of society’s view they will assume their natural position in life. When push came to shove Ma Joad took control of the situation and of the family, and Pa Joad didn’t know how to function outside of his normal position. Ma Joad’s decision to stay ended up being the right decision, she had the qualities to be the leader the whole time but settled for the “rock” of the family. Even though the idea of a female leader isn’t scarce, the idea of a male leader is more favorable and prominent amongst society. There will always be a time that a women needs to step up and lead a family or the people in general. “Leadership is not a characteristic exclusively found in men”. The biggest problem encountered by the Joad family is the greed of men often referred to as “the
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