Jim Casy's Philosophy

Okay guys,so I'm a bit late to the blogging scene here,but I was curious about  what you all thought about Jim Casy's way of thinking. I really like his idea that working and uniting with your fellow men is one of the holiest acts you could do.You understand everyone else's struggle because you share them,too, and you learn to support each other.The dangers of keeping to yourself for so long is the loss of human contact. You lose touch with people and one doesn't know how to connect with others as easily anymore. So what do you guys think?Is it better to work alone or do you believe that unity is better? What could be the pros and cons to both?

Tom Joad.

Tom from the beginning of the book struck me as an alright kind of guy. Tom after spending a few years in the pen gained a view on life that most people now a days couldn't have. Tom's live life in the moment view made him a real relaxed and easy to like character. It was very apparent that Tom had very little interest or worries. Breaking parole would send Tom back to the pen but regardless he goes along to California displaying his riskiness. Over time Tom begins to change as the rough times get even worse. This is where I begin to like Tom's character. The times and weight of the family get to him and with the words of Casy always in the back of his mind Tom changes for the better. Tom faces the responsibilities he once neglected. The thought of sticking together hits Tom even more and he becomes a leader along with Ma. Right at the end of the book is where we see the greatest change in Tom. Tom decides that he must leave the family behind and follow Casy's ways of helping fight for his people. Even though Tom knows the fate he will face just like he witnessed with Casy, he continues. Tom realizes that he can make a change, that he can be somebody greater and does exactly that. Although we will never know what happens after Tom chooses his future plans all we can assume is that he fought with his life to make a difference. Oh jesus I must have said Tom like a thousand times in this. Anyways I ended up really liking Tom.

California jobs??

So I'm at chapter eighteen and the Joads have heard nothing but the opposite of what the hand bills say. So did they run out of jobs or do they just don't like all the family's coming in?

Chapter 15

I'm not really sure what to think about this chapter. All I can think about is how Mae puts on this fake face in front of most customers except the truckers who she is genuinely happy to see because that's where they get most of their business from. I also find her questioning manner towards the "Okies" kind of comical and depicts her as having an unselfish concern about the welfare of others. I personally almost squealed at how she saw this look on the two boys' faces and kind of melted and gave them nickel candies for a penny. What I was wondering though is what was with the truckers comment after the family left? They leave a total of a dollar and then say go to hell. I'm so confused from that someone help me understand please.

Chapter 10

Ok I just finished chapter 10. Wow a lot happens in just that chapter. After about chapter 6 I found that I didn't really want to put down the book to even answer the questions. If the book keeps being this good I think I'm going to really like it. I've noticed through these past five chapters that I've read today that you are starting to really feel the pain, bitterness, sorrow, and anger that the tenant farmers have towards having to leave their homes. I also think that some of us can relate to them in some ways because some of us have had to make that big move to another place and you could see it in your parents eyes that even they weren't really sure if there was a good future where you were moving. What I want to know is what do you think of how the family hierarchy is set up because I've noticed through the words that Steinbeck chose that women didn't have much of a say but Ma had more say than most women did.

chapter 6: breaking point

I really liked chapter 6, for me it was the breaking point. I especially liked the way everything seemed so unrealistically realistic, if that makes any sense. The dialogues were so natural, natural enough that while i was reading a movie was playing in my head, not only that because that always happens but this movie was clearer than daylight, every small detail was portrayed. So far even though it was barely chapter 6, the book has been an introduction, or for lack of a better term, boring. I have no doubt that I will finish the book very quickly due to interest in what will come next all thanks to chapter 6.

Chapter 5

Okay I'm going to be honest here I started reading the book kind of late so I'm barely blogging about chapter 5 but as I've read I find it interesting how Steinbeck sets everything up. He basically gives you background knowledge into the struggles the characters will face. Also, I'm going to make an inference here based on what several people have told the tenant farmers, that a lot of the families are going to move out to California and there might be some conflict because there may not be enough work for the hundreds of families, and there could be a lot of hatred toward them from the Californians. I'd love to get you guys opinions if I could even at this late period of time in the assignment.

Chapter 5

I know I'm kind of late everyone but I just wanted some input on Chapter 5. I am not gonna lie when I first started this chapter I was super confused I didn't understand what was going on but by the end I could sort of recollect what I read and realize what it was really about. But the real question I have regards the second bullet point of the prompt. Summarize the conflict between the landowners and the banks. Is this man vs. man or man vs. society? I was thinking about both but I mean, the author kept referring to the bank being a monster more than a man, but then again could the bank be a society? What are some other opinions on this?

Chapter 26 Journal.

Hey guys, first of all i hope you all enjoyed or are enjoying the book as much as I did.
My question is, did anyone have trouble on the first link that Mrs. Ross gave us in the prompt? I tried typing it in the URL box but it says that the page has been removed. Am I the only one who is having trouble? Please help.! thank you, see you in 3 weeks (:

chapter 15

In this chapter I got confused when the truck drivers left because I didnt quite understand why and why they sounded rude and said "go to hell". Did they get upset because they gave the food cheaper to the man and kids?

Al chapter 13

Has anyone ever felt the way Al did back in chapter 13? Allow me to quote from The Grapes Wrath. "Al, at the wheel, his face purposeful, his whole body listening to the car, his restless eyes jumping from the road to the instrument panel. Al was one with his engine, every nerve listening for weakness, for the thumps or squeals, hums and chattering that indicate a change that may cause a breakdown. He had become the soul of the car." The reason why this paragraph stuck out to me was because when i was younger i had this bike that would break down at random moments. Either the chain would come loose, the pedals would fall off or my driver would not pull the chain, which really hurts a lot when you are going fast. My actions were similar to Al's by being very cautious of my bike, listening to the chain hitting against the frame, and constantly moving my feet side to side to check if my pedals were in place. Am i the only one who can relate to this?

Chapter 26

Oh gawd, chapter 26 really gave me the feels ;-; I wasn't expecting that at all! Well I kind of had a feeling Tom would get into some stuff he wasn't supposed to but didn't see that at all. Poor Casy, his last words are still running in my head.  Tom from the start wasn't going to stay clean I knew it. His anger and dullness lead me to believe he would be dangerous. I like Tom though I think if I was in that position I would have done it too.

Feelings about the ending

The ending of Chapter 30 left me with mixed feelings. Part of me was relieved that Rose of Sharon's delivery went better than it could have (at least she's still alive) and that the Joads made it past the flood at the boxcars. However, I feel as though the ending does not explain much. It just kind of stops without actually resolving anything. We don't know what happened to Tom, we don't know where Connie is or if Noah is alright, and the flood is still powerful enough to endanger the Joads at the barn. Plus, Rose of Sharon's "gift" to the old man is a bit of a bizarre note to end an otherwise poignant and emotional story on. I just feel like the ending could have been more.

The Writing Style of Steinbeck

As I continue reading, I have begun to notice the continuous chapter pattern of Steinbeck. He writes his books like a play book. In one chapter he sets the mood, the setting, and the emotion of the setting and then starts character dialogue in the next chapter. I find this quite interesting because though it seems like overkill in some aspects, it still engraves the emotion he desires in the mind of the reader. This is not even mentioning the fact that Steinbeck forces us to read between the lines of his writing to gain a better understanding of what he is really saying and explaining.

Rose of Sharon and Connie (don't read if you're not this far)

I kind of had a feeling Connie would leave Rose of Sharon, did anyone else? She was so hyped on him getting a job and maintaining her and the child  “We got to have a house 'fore the babg comes. We ain’t gonna have this baby in no tent.” She was demanding for too much with all her pretty dream talk about him studying up on radios and moving off together. A guy could only take so much before his demanding and soon to be high maintenance wife drives him crazy and feels like he needs to get out. He's still very immature and a coward for leaving but at times like this I don't think he was really ready to chew what he bit off. 

Chapter 4 prompt.

So far I've read the first fifteen chapters of the book and I am really impressed. The further I go in the more harder it gets to put it down but before I go to far I wanted to do a couple of the previous prompts first. Chapter 4 prompt is a little confusing so I was wondering if anyone can help with a little clarification.
•Describe the characterization of Reverend Jim Casey through Steinbeck's use of exposition and dialogue.
•How is the ending of this chapter an allusion to Chapter 1? What can you infer happened to Tom's family.
Ideas anyone? I also hope you all are having a great summer ^_^