Ma Joad, Tom's mother, was the one who kept the family together. ... After he returns, Tom and Ma start to discuss California. ... Ma does not like the idea of anyone splitting up the family. ... During a routine agricultural check, an officer tells Ma that he needs to unload the vehicle, but Ma implies that Grandma needs immediate medical attention, which the officer falls for and lets them go. ... As Ma makes a stew, hungry children gather around her and she tries to shoo them away unsuccessfully. ...

• Word Count: 2457
• Approx Pages: 10
• Grade Level: High School

The first person Tom sees is his Pa, who insists on surprising Ma with his arrival. ... Ma then slips some sleeping syrup into Granpa's drink, and the Joad family begins their journey to California. ... Meanwhile, the Wilsons and Joads are "in flight" crossing New Mexico. ... Ma decides that they need to leave the camp to find work. ... When all of the boxcar inhabitants take Ma's advice to find higher land, everyone rushes into an old barn, only to find a boy who tells Ma that his father is starving. ...

• Word Count: 1730
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

After a short time they go together to find the Joad family. ... Ma replies "" It's women's work."" "" It's all work," the preacher [Casy] replied. ... Casy's beliefs are passed on after his death to Tom Joad, Rose of Sharon, and Ma Joad. ... Also Casy's philosophies rubbed off on Ma. This really shows when Ma says, "" If you"re in trouble or hurt or need- go to poor people. ...

• Word Count: 1851
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

These farmers were forced to either rent their land or move, as the Joads do in Grapes. ... In The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck's social philosophy is expressed primarily by Jim Casy, acted on by Ma Joad, and eventually realized by Tom Joad (CliffsNotes 10). ... In the book, Ma Joad exemplifies this belief when she says "We"re the people we go on" (Steinbbeck ). ... He is immediately accepted by the twelve Joads, who symbolize Jesus" disciples. ... Tom even tells Ma "Seems like I can see him sometimes" (Steinbeck 572). ...

• Word Count: 1670
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

This description portrays the Joad family's home suffering from abandonment when they leave their country home life for better opportunities in the west. ... The Joad family prepares for the difficult journey across the country to the "promised" land where ignorance leads the Joad family to search for the American dream in the long lost land of California. ... Grandma and Grandpa Joad cannot endure the difficult journey in the beginning, hence, at their old age, rot away in the back of the vehicle. When the vehicle breaks down, the Joad family gets overcharged for parts that don't fu...

• Word Count: 1717
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School