A journey is defined as any passage from one stage to another. In Steinbeck's novel, The Grapes of Wrath, he tells the story of the Joads, a farming family from Oklahoma, who are forced off of their land. The family journeys to California, where there they hope to find work and the dreams they left behind. The journey they take is both physical and spiritual, having a great effect on the whole family. The family had to move, work, sacrifice for their well-being, suffer losses, and survive malnutrition on this physical journey. The Grapes of Wrath is not so much a physical journey as it is spiritual, however. Although the whole family took part in this spiritual journey, Tom Joad's growth in insight and Rose of Sharon's maturation are the main focuses of Steinbeck's novel.
The Grapes of Wrath was full of obstacles that the Joad family had to overcome in order to survive. On this great physical journey, they had to move from Oklahoma to California, in hopes of a chance to start their lives where they had left off. The journey was a long one, filled with losses all along the way. During the trip Grandpa Joad passed away, and shortly thereafter, so did Grandma Joad. Also along the travel, Noah Joad leaves the family and heads off on his own, and because he knows he cannot give his wife what she dreams of, Connie Rivers abandons his pregnant wife, Rose of Sharon, and the rest of the family. When the Joads finally reached California, they had to work in the orange groves for less than adequate wages in order to have money to buy food. They also had to give up privileges in order to survive. Even the children of the family had to work and earn their share, for if they hadn't, there would not have been enough money. To make matters even worse, the family had to suffer through malnutrition, which along with harsh living conditions, caused Rose of Sharon to deliver a stillborn child.
The Grapes of Wrath was not only a physical journey, but a very spiritual one as well.