Grapes of Wrath Travel Journals Chapters 16-19(D)*

Family/Unity

1. " All we got is the family unbroken. Like a bunch a cows, when the lobos are ranging, stick together." (169)

This quote from Chapter 16 illustrates the importance of family in the life of Ma'. The fact that Ma' refuses to separate from the family and leave her son Tom and preacher Jim Casy behind is evident that her primary goal is to keep the family together despite any obstacles that may cross their path. The quote above shows the connection between the obstacles in life and family. The "lobos" represents the desperate need od the family members to find a job. The lack of a job is hunting down on the cows, or the Joad family. Although the Joad family may be suffering from their inability to find work and good wages they still stick together as a family. The Joad family are there for one another to fall back on in this time of need. They are all on this journey together to find a job. Although the Joad family may never find the work that they spend all their time looking for, in the end they will have each other no matter what. This idea of a family uniting together throughout the journey for their goals is shifted drastically. This shift in the idea of family and unity is illustrated through the several family members' abandoning of the family. In chapter 18, the first family member to leave and go his own way was Noah. Rather than going with them to continue looking for work, he decides to stay at the river and spend the rest of his life catching fish from the river. Noah gains a stronger connection with the river in comparison to his family. He had traveled with his family on the journey until he found the river, which resulted in the forgotten importance of his family and its unity. He is more concerned about where he would experience the best life for HIMSELF. He is more concerned about his welfare rather than the feelings of the family.  Similar to Noah, Connie and Rose of Sharon plan to leave the family behind in the morning. They go against the idea of family/unity because they use the family to get to the place they want to be and then instantly plan to abandon them without any thought about what the family gave up to go on this journey to California. Overall, the idea of family/unity changes because family members become more concerned about themselves compared to the family as a whole.