Grapes of Wrath
Uploaded by Admin on Apr 16, 2000
In the epic movie Grapes of Wrath, director John Ford depicted a saga of one family trying to survive the 1930’s. In watching this film, it helped me to understand the hardships of the American migrants. The characters showed unique traits and dealt with problems each in a different way.
The Dust Bowl was an ecological and human disaster that took place in the southwestern Great Plains region, including Oklahoma. Misuse of land and years of sustained drought caused it. Millions of acres of farmland became useless, and hundreds of thousands of people were forced to leave their homes --many migrated to California. As the land dried up, great clouds of dust and sand, carried by the wind, covered everything and the word "Dust Bowl" was dubbed.
This movie describes a family's journey from Oklahoma to California in search of a better way of life. The family revolves around Tom Joad, an ex-convict who is now on parole. The Joad family was evicted from their farm in Oklahoma because they could not afford to pay their bank loan. As they move across the great western states, they suffer much discrimination. The Joad family believes that once they are in California, they will find jobs and settle down. They do not realize, however, that hundreds of thousands of other families are going to California in search of jobs also. When they arrive, the Joads are forced to accept horrible wages and live in terrible conditions.
Ma was a strong-willed woman who was the leader of the family. The major decision that ma made, was when the family was passing the Arizona border patrol. She lied to the inspectors so she could pass through without having the police to search the car. Ma pretended Grandma was alive so they would be allowed to rush through the border patrol to get to a doctor. This plan worked and the Joad family arrived in California safely. She was an ambitious woman who was determined to have a successful family in California.
Tom Joad was the main character. He was an irascible, yet considerate man who respected his family. His respect for his family forced him to leave on account of being a fugitive. He was defending preacher Casey, but failed to do so when the police killed Casey. Tom got revenge by killing the deputee.
Preacher Casey was the most influential character in the movie. He lived...