In the novel “The Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck, the main characters are almost all driven by self-interest. This will to only help ourselves is the cause of deaths and disappearances throughout the novel. The idea which Steinbeck is trying to portray is that the best way to preserve oneself is by first helping the group. Of all the characters in “The Grapes of Wrath,” Tom Joad is the first to realise that he cannot continue to be driven by self-centered desires. His realization is influenced greatly by Jim Casey who has always been attempting to help the group but did not know the right way of doing it. Eventually a circumstance arises where Jim is able to help the Joad family.
When the family first arrives in California, Tom gets in trouble with the Californian police. The Police are harassing the campsite that the Joads have stopped at for the night. Tom ends up getting in a fight with one of the police officers and knocks him unconscious. The family knows that Tom will be in a lot of trouble not only for attacking the policeman but also for breaking his parole. So Jim Casey, always thinking about the family, takes the blame for the crime and gets sent to jail in Tom’s stead. Jims act of selflessness eventually helps the family when, for a time, Tom is the only man to find work. Although Tom does not initially learn from Jims actions, he begins to see the benefits of working for one main goal rather than many individual goals.
The next time Tom encounters Jim is when Tom finally realizes the mistake of only working for one’s own goals. When they next meet, Jim is organizing groups of farmers to protest the lack of work and low wages. While in jail, Jim decided that the best way for him to help people is by bringing them together. Tom talks to Jim Casey for a while until they again get in a fight with the police. The fight ends with Jim being killed by a police officer. His death is an act of martyrdom and changes Tom’s views on self-preservation. Through this sequence of events, Steinbeck is able to show that it is better to die for the group then to live for oneself. Tom realizes this and goes off on his own rather than hiding with his family and getting them in trouble as well.
Each character in “The Grapes of Wrath” is interested only in themselves during at least one part of the novel. The characters that are continuously self-centered either die or end up in a bad situation. John Steinbeck tries to show us that the only way to have a good life is to work with other people and help them when possible and selfishness leads to a despicable life and bad situations.
Thoughtful, efficient discussion of Tom, yet Casy's importance is limited to a secondary role in your analysis -- he's a primary archetype, for cryin' out loud. For what you've written about Tom, he could be dealt with in a single paragraph, with another for Jim Casy.
ReplyDeleteSupport is relevant and accurate, but limited to summary, rather than specific details.
This is a proficient essay in many ways, but lacking the specific detail and attention to development (i.e. Jim Casy) that should be evident in this form of writing.