grapes of wrath

The Grapes of Wrath Flashcards

Characters

Q: Who is the emotional leader of the Joad family?
A: Ma Joad

Q: Which character develops the strongest social awareness?
A: Tom Joad

Q: Why was Tom Joad in prison?
A: He killed a man with a shovel handle in self-defense.

Q: What physical injury marks Tom near the end?
A: His nose/face is crushed after the fight following Jim Casy’s death.

Q: Which character is a former preacher?
A: Jim Casy

Q: What are Jim Casy’s beliefs about humanity?
A: He believes all people share “one big soul.”

Q: Why did Jim Casy stop preaching?
A: He questioned traditional ideas of sin and felt hypocritical.

Q: Which character constantly feels guilty over his wife’s death?
A: Uncle John

Q: Which character loves mechanics and cars?
A: Al Joad

Q: Which character abandons Rose of Sharon?
A: Connie Rivers

Q: What career does Connie dream about?
A: Radio/electrical work.

Q: Which character leaves to stay by the river?
A: Noah Joad

Q: Why does Noah leave?
A: He feels he belongs near the water and apart from the family.

Q: Which child accidentally exposes Tom’s secret?
A: Ruthie

Q: What secret does Ruthie reveal?
A: That Tom killed a man/is hiding.

Setting & Journey

Q: During what historical period does the novel take place?
A: The Great Depression and Dust Bowl.

Q: Where do the Joads start their journey?
A: Oklahoma

Q: Where are they traveling?
A: California

Q: What is Route 66 called?
A: “The Mother Road.”

Q: What nickname is used insultingly toward migrants?
A: “Okies.”

Q: What are Hoovervilles?
A: Poor migrant camps with terrible living conditions.

Q: What is the government camp also called?
A: Weedpatch Camp.

Q: Why is Weedpatch different from Hoovervilles?
A: It is clean, organized, and run democratically by migrants.

Q: Why do authorities dislike Weedpatch?
A: Police/deputies cannot easily control it.

Plot & Events

Q: What item does Tom carry after leaving prison?
A: A paper bag with his belongings.

Q: Why does the truck driver hesitate to pick Tom up?
A: Hitchhiking violates company policy.

Q: What happens to the family dog?
A: It is hit by a car after the journey begins.

Q: Why must Grampa be drugged before leaving?
A: He refuses to leave Oklahoma.

Q: Who dies first during the trip?
A: Grampa Joad

Q: Who dies crossing the desert?
A: Granma Joad

Q: Why does Ma hide Granma’s death temporarily?
A: To safely cross the checkpoint into California first.

Q: What happens to the Wilson family?
A: Sairy Wilson becomes too sick to continue west.

Q: What happens to the Joads’ shelter during the flood?
A: It collapses/floods.

Q: What natural disaster occurs near the end?
A: A flood/flash flood.

Q: What happens to Rose of Sharon’s baby?
A: The baby is stillborn.

Q: What does Uncle John do with the baby?
A: Places it in a box and sends it into the floodwaters.

Q: What happens in the final scene?
A: Rose of Sharon breastfeeds a starving man in a barn.

Labor & Social Issues

Q: Why are wages kept low in California?
A: Growers use too many workers to create competition.

Q: What do the fake handbills advertise?
A: Plenty of jobs in California.

Q: What do the handbills actually cause?
A: False hope and overcrowded labor competition.

Q: Why does Jim Casy organize workers?
A: To fight exploitation and unfair wages.

Q: What happens to Jim Casy?
A: He is killed during a labor conflict.

Q: What does Tom do after Casy is killed?
A: He kills the attacker.

Symbolism

Q: What does the turtle symbolize?
A: Persistence and survival.

Q: What does the dust symbolize?
A: Destruction and hopelessness.

Q: What does the flood symbolize?
A: Destruction and possible renewal.

Q: What does the truck symbolize?
A: Carrying the family’s hopes and entire lives west.

Q: What do “the grapes of wrath” symbolize?
A: Growing anger among oppressed workers.

Ultra-Specific Details Teachers LOVE

Q: What kind of shoes is Tom wearing early in the novel?
A: New prison shoes.

Q: What does Muley Graves compare himself to?
A: A hunted animal/coyote-like figure.

Q: What food do starving children stare at in the camps?
A: Bread and stew.

Q: What does Ma burn before leaving Oklahoma?
A: Family keepsakes and memories they cannot carry.

Q: What does Tom use to hide after the fight?
A: Bandages over his face.

Q: What fruit becomes tied to the labor strike conflict?
A: Peaches.

Q: What happens to the peaches during the strike?
A: They rot.

Q: What do deputies often try to provoke in migrant camps?
A: Riots/fights to justify arrests.

Q: What Biblical symbolism is connected to Jim Casy?
A: His initials are J.C., paralleling Jesus Christ.

Q: What are Casy’s last words similar to?
A: Jesus’ words during crucifixion (“You don’t know what you’re doing.”)

Q: Which parent becomes weaker in authority over time?
A: Pa Joad.

Q: Which parent becomes stronger in authority over time?
A: Ma Joad.

Q: What tone does the novel end on?
A: Survival, compassion, and human unity despite suffering.

Final Important Notes for The Grapes of Wrath

Since your teacher emphasized:

• Characters

• Setting

• Sequence of events

• and there are a TON of matching/MC questions,

the biggest thing now is making sure you can:

1. connect characters to actions/details

2. remember event order

3. avoid mixing similar scenes together

MOST IMPORTANT CHARACTER THINGS

Tom Joad

Remember his FULL arc:

• Starts focused mainly on himself

• Influenced by Casy

• Becomes socially aware

• Ends wanting to help oppressed people everywhere

HUGE quote idea:

Tom says he’ll be “wherever people are fighting.”

Teachers LOVE questions about:

• how Tom changes

• how Casy influences him

• Tom becoming a symbol of collective struggle

Jim Casy

Important:

• NOT a traditional preacher anymore

• Believes holiness is in people, not churches

• Symbolic Christ figure

• Sacrifices himself for workers

Remember:

• J.C. initials

• Dies helping others

• Inspires Tom afterward

Ma Joad

Probably the strongest character in the novel.

Teachers may ask:

• Who holds the family together?

• Who becomes the real leader?

• Who sacrifices the most emotionally?

Answer is usually Ma.

Pa Joad

Easy to overlook:

• Represents traditional male authority fading

• Becomes less decisive/confident over time

Rose of Sharon

Her character development is VERY important.
Beginning:

• immature

• focused mostly on herself/Connie

Ending:

• selfless

• nurturing

• symbol of survival/human compassion

That contrast matters.

MOST IMPORTANT SETTINGS

Oklahoma

Represents:

• loss

• drought

• Dust Bowl destruction

• banks forcing families away

Remember:
The banks are almost treated like monsters/machines.

Route 66

Represents:

• movement

• hope

• migration

• uncertainty

“The Mother Road”

California

VERY important:

• NOT the paradise migrants expected

• overcrowded

• exploitative

• hostile toward migrants

This contrast is one of the novel’s biggest points.

Hoovervilles vs Weedpatch

Hoovervilles

• dirty

• unsafe

• starving

• police harassment

Weedpatch

• clean

• organized

• democratic

• hopeful

Teachers LOVE comparing these.

PLOT ORDER — KNOW THIS COLD

This is probably the most important thing for MC questions.

Beginning

1. Tom leaves prison

2. Meets Jim Casy

3. Visits abandoned home

4. Muley explains families being forced off land

5. Family prepares truck

6. Ma burns keepsakes

7. Grampa drugged

8. Family leaves Oklahoma

Journey West

9. Dog gets hit

10. Grampa dies

11. Wilsons travel with Joads

12. Sairy Wilson gets sick

13. Noah leaves

14. Granma dies crossing desert

15. Family reaches California

16. Connie abandons Rose of Sharon

California Struggles

17. Hooverville camps

18. Deputies provoke fights

19. Casy arrested

20. Government camp/Weedpatch

21. Cotton/fruit picking jobs

22. Workers exploited

23. Casy becomes labor organizer

Climax & Ending

24. Tom reunites with Casy

25. Casy killed

26. Tom kills attacker

27. Tom hides with bandaged face

28. Ruthie reveals Tom’s secret

29. Tom leaves family

30. Flood destroys shelter

31. Rose of Sharon loses baby

32. Final barn scene

If you know this order, you’ll probably destroy most MC questions.

EASY-TO-MIX-UP DETAILS

Casy is arrested BEFORE he dies.

A lot of people confuse these events.

Granma dies AFTER Noah leaves.

Connie leaves AFTER reaching California.

Tom leaves the family VERY late in the novel.

The government camp is one of the FEW positive places.

IMPORTANT SYMBOLS THAT SHOW UP A LOT

THINGS TEACHERS LOVE FOR TRUE/FALSE

Watch for:

• “The migrants are welcomed warmly” → FALSE

• “The Joads own their farm” → FALSE (tenant farmers)

• “Casy remains a preacher” → FALSE

• “Ma becomes stronger throughout the novel” → TRUE

• “California solves the Joads’ problems” → FALSE

• “Tom changes throughout the novel” → TRUE

VERY TESTABLE SMALL DETAILS

• Tom wears prison shoes

• Grampa dies early

• Granma dies crossing desert

• Ruthie exposes Tom

• Tom hides with bandages

• Uncle John sends baby into floodwaters

• Route 66 = Mother Road

• Migrants called “Okies”

• Handbills create false hope

• Peaches tied to strike conflict

• Peaches rot

• Deputies try provoking riots

• Ma burns keepsakes

• The dog dies early in the journey

THEMES YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO RECOGNIZE

Family Unity

The family survives by staying together.

Human Dignity

Migrants are treated unfairly but keep their humanity.

Community

People survive better together than alone.

Exploitation

Growers use poverty to control workers.

Hope

Even after terrible suffering, compassion still exists.

FINAL THING

If a question asks:

The safest answer is usually something close to:

That idea is basically the heart of the novel.

Additionally, Steinbeck emphasizes the importance of hope and resilience in the face of adversity, illustrating how collective struggle can lead to both personal and communal growth.