Tom Joad: A Story Overview in John Steinbeck’s Novel, The Grapes of Wrath

This story opens with Tom Joad returning home after serving time in prison for murder. He "catches" a ride with a trucker who sneaks him on even though it is against the rules. Tom is dressed head to toe in new clothes. The trucker immediately realizes that Tom has just been released from prison and begins to question him. Tom has no problem speaking of what he has done and the driver enters into a lengthy conversation with him about life. He says that people have been moving away from this area in swarms because the developers are moving in. Tom realizes that his family might have left but he then figures that they would wait for him. Tom parts from the trucker and begins the walk to his house. On the way he meets Casy. Casy is the preacher that had always lived around those parts and he was friendly with Tom and his family.

He convinces Casy to walk with him and they head towards the "town". As they approach the area they realize that there is no one there. All of the houses are empty and the place looks generally dead. They meet Muley, an old character who refused to leave his home. He tells them that the developers came through and kicked everyone off the land. He said that he stayed even though his family left because he can't imagine living anywhere else. The three men spend the night together feasting on rabbit. The owners of the land come by but the three men manage to hide. The next morning the start the eight mile walk to Tom's uncle's house where Muley has told him his family is.

When they arrive at Uncle John's house Tom's family is very happy to see him. There is hugging and talking before they get back to the seriousness of there problems. They discuss the condition of the used truck that they bought as well as how much money they have. Tom's grandfather is worried about leaving. He says that he wants to though because there are many opportunities and they will be able to pick fruit whenever they want to. Tom convinces them that they can afford to bring Casy along with them and they even offer to bring Muley but he says that he will never leave the valley. Muley tells them that if they see his family to tell them that he is okay. The Joads make some food for the trip and load up the truck. They all climb on and wave good-bye to Muley. They are on there way to California.

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The Joads soon realize that everyone is trying to rip them off. The gas prices are high and everyone is cranky. They need new parts for their truck but the man is mean. Luckily they find a nice person and buy the parts for a reasonable price. They stop a few times to find water or food but the family becomes irritated with their life. The grandparents are becoming weaker and weaker and they need to rest more often.

Finally they find a place that they can stop and camp. At the camp site they meet the Wilsons. Mrs. Wilson is sick but she is very hospitable. While at the camp site Grandpa dies. Sairy is very helpful and she evens help them to prepare him for burial. This whole episode upsets Grandma. She becomes weaker and less alive. She almost resigns from living.

After a while, the Joads and the Wilsons decide to join up and travel to California together. The Wilsons have a car and they decide that by taking some of they people out of the truck they will be able to move faster. They also will have a little more money and at least they will have support. Which they will need because Grandma dies during the trip of a "broken heart". Eventually Sairy becomes too ill to go on and the Wilsons and the Joads part.

Soon the Joads begin to suspect that maybe California is not as great as everyone made it sound. They meet more and more travellers who tell them of the hard times and little money that they found. They say that the police are constantly harassing them and "pinning" crimes on them. They said that the people of California do not want them there and take advantage of them. While the Joads were at one camp site they met a particularly depressing group of people.

The camp site is by a nice river and noah decides that he does not want to leave. He leaves his family and roams down the river. At the same campsite a deputy arrives and begins to torment them. Tom gets in a fight with him but Casy takes the 'heat'. They realize that Rosasharn's husband Connie has also left. Rosasharn is pregnant and she cries that Connie shouldn't have left her after all the good he promised her. The Joads, minus two go along on their adventure.

The Joads found a weedpatch camp to stay at. The camp had working bathrooms, warm water and their own government. The deputies were not allowed to enter the camp. The Joads set up camp and went out looking for work. They enjoyed living there. The people had dances and all helped each other if they could. It only cost a doller each week to camp there but the Joads had no work and soon were basically starving to stay there. They decide that they will have to go north to find more work. They regretfully leave the camp wit Rosasharon scared that she has sinned and her baby will die. The children are worried because they liked Iliving in a place with other children and games.

They find a new place to work picking peaches but they pay isn't too good and the store inflates its prices. The house that they are living in is small and dirty. They head out to pick the peaches but it isn't fast work because the peaches can't be bruised at all and they have to fill a whole box before they really earn any money. They also realize that there are people outside that used to work there. These people left when the rate of pay dropped from five cents a box to two and a half cents. One night Tom sneaks out to see why the people are out there and he meets Casy. Casy tells him the whole story and then they start a fight with a mean man that walks in. Tom is trying to save Casy and ends up possibly killing the man and bruising himself.

He goes back to he families house and his mother is upset to hear of his fight because she realizes that she has to hide him. The family sets out again and hides Tom. They decide to start picking cotton and earn quite a bit of money. They move into an old box car and Tom goes and hides in the woods. Alan meets a girl named Aggie Wainwright and decides that he is going to marry her. This means that the Wainwrights and the Joads begin to help each other out and spend time together. The two families decide that they need to help each other. Mrs. Wainwright helps Ma deliver Rosasharn's baby who turns out to be stillborn. Rosasharn is devastated. She curls up and sleeps because she is so weak. Ma gives Tom a little money and tells him to leave. She says that it will be better if he leaves and that hopefully they will meet again soon.

A flood comes to their small "village" and soon they are in danger of becoming very wet. They build platforms but finally decide that they need to try and leave. They walk away from their home and find a barn. They go inside the barn and meet a young boy and his father. The boy begs them to help him find milk for his father. They tell him that they don't have any and they can't think of what to do until they remember Rosasharn. Rosasharn makes everyone leave and then nurses the old man. She smiles. I think that she smiled because even though her baby died she can still help safe this boys father.

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