Grapes of Wraith by John Steinbeck portrayed the awakening of a man's conscience dealing
with his troubling trials throughout the novel. The character that goes through this
monumental change is Tom Joad, son of two tenant farmers from Oklahoma. Tom's conscience
was changed from a loner who cared nothing about the people to a hardy leader of them.
He first looked after his family on their trip that evolved into including the
impoverished migrant farmers in California.
At the beginning of the novel Tom Joad has just been paroled after spending four years
in a state prison. He stops at a roadside cafe looking for a ride when he sees a truck
with a "No Riders" sticker on it. Tom's conversation with this trucker is his first
witness to the suppression of an honest working man by the larger more wealthy
corporations since his release from prison. The trucker tries to socialize with him at
this point but Tom is too absorbed into his own interest in keeping to himself.
Arriving at his house with Jim Casey, Tom visits the abandoned house with one corner
having been knocked in by a tractor. His family had been compelled to leave their land
through repossession by the large corporations another example in Tom's life how the
larger are trying to control the less fortunate. This land had been his family's source
of pride and livelihood throughout his life with them and it's loss was the first sizable
impact on Tom's conscience that would lead him to an awakening.
After visiting the land the Joad family had lived on for many years Tom and Jim traveled
to his uncle John's house nearby. There Tom meets his family as they are making
preparations to leave for California. Tom's family has already sold off every valuable
possession they own while living under cramped conditions on old and soiled mattresses in
a house not built to accommodate the size of the entire family. Tom realizes that a
family cannot survive under these destitute conditions unless they cling together as one
unit. Because of this realization Tom becomes protective of his family, leaving casting
off portions of his selfishness for the betterment of his relatives.
Tom's final awakening comes when he meets Jim Casy for the final time outside a work
camp in the midst of a strike. There Jim Casy tells Tom that the only way the worker's
can obtain law and order as well as, fair wages, is to unite all the migrant workers
together and fight against the larger controlling companies. The statement is driven
home when he witnesses Jim Casy's passive resistance in response to the threatened
violence by the cops. As the police advance on Jim Casy he yells towards them, " Listen,
you fellas don' know what you're doin'. You're helpin' to starve kids." moments before
his head is brutally crushed by a pick handle. Enraged by the actions unfolded before him
Tom grabs a pick handle and clubs one of the officers to death before hastily fleeing
from the scene.
This event finally made possible the awakening of Tom Joad. He recognized that if a
common man were to ever get a fair chance to live their life, they would be forced to do
so under a united cause. Tom's awakening came slowly as he struggled to understand the
toils of needing, not only to care for his family but organize the migrant workers into a
force where they can achieve fair rights. During the final chapters of the novel Tom
recognizes the importance of Jim Casy's work to unify the people bringing about a final
awakening of his conscience.
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