Cast of Characters: The Joads', the camp manager, the watchman, Wilkie and Timothy, Mr. Thomas, the crazy religious lady, and the women's committee.
Main Events: 1. Tom getting a job- Tom got lucky, he got a job right off the bat when he arrived at the camp. He met up with a man and his son (Timothy and Wilkie) and quickly became friends with them. they took him with him to their work site digging ditches and convinced Mr. Thomas to let Tom on the team.
2. Rose of Sharon getting yelled at by the religious lady- The super crazy religious lady scared Rose of Sharon very much when she was talking about sin. Rose was so scared that she even cried because she thought that her baby was going to be still born. later when Ma nad thesame lady got into a verbal argument, The camp manager told Ma that she always causes trouble and not to mind her. Ma warned the manager though, that if she comes again she might hit the crazy lady.
3. Ma meeting the committee- This was a very important moment for Ma, she spent the entire day cleaning up the kids and the family. She wanted to be respectable to the ladies so they will like her and she can get a good job around the camp. she really ended up liking the committee and it really solidified her liking of the camp as a whole.
Main Themes: Improvised leadership- when the Joads went into the camp the quickly found out that there was a camp manager, but the real power resided in the committees. the committees are actually ran by the inhabitants of the camp themselves and are elected by the others. leadership always promotes peace and prosperity to any desperate situation because people have someone to look up to.
Pregnancy- I believe that the whole reason Steinbeck created a pregnant character was to bring about the concept of a better tomorrow and that no matter what happens, life will always go on. He does thi though Rose of Sharon.
"The people here worked me out of a job. They keep the camp clean, they keep order, they do everything. I never saw such people. They're making clothes in the meeting hall. And they're making toys. Never saw such people."
"You be good. If you got in on you-you better watch out for that there baby"
Compare and Contrast-
Comparison: There are similar camps just like the one the Joads are currently in all around the world, even today. Sadly there will always be homeless people, and the government is trying to be responsible and help them out. You really see that clearly in this chapter.
Contrast: The government camp is much nicer and better in every way than the Hooverville that the Joadds were in before. This one has toilets, government, running water, and no outside interference by the corrupt police department.
Interesting connection about pregnancy in the book. I also think that he added this type of character to show what a woman in that position had to go through during the economic hardship.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was neat to see Ma Joad stand up for her child and get defensive with someone she didn't know because they scared her daughter. We finally saw what Ma was capable of when it came to fighting for her family against others.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your reason why Steinbeck brought in a pregnant character. These times were difficult, and a new life was a good sign to see.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you in the meaning of pregnancy in the book. I really like the way you worded it " the concept of a better tomorrow and that no matter what happens, life will always go on"
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