In The Grapes of Wrath, farming was a predominant theme.
Being a psychology student, however, I tend to focus on the human side of
things. When watching the movie, I noticed that the main characters, the Joads,
were often put into difficult situations. From what I know of the time period,
their experience would be quite representative of other farming families from
Oklahoma at the time. Observing the varying situations the Joads found
themselves in, I noticed several aspects of the human side, and how their
farming culture affected them, making them react in slightly different ways
than most people would have. In this post, I will be focusing on several
different situations, showing how it felt to be a farmer in these situations,
how they reacted, and how others around them reacted.
One of the first things the farmers had to deal with was the
fact that their sharecropping days ended without their consent or knowledge. In
the beginning of the movie, Tom Joad came home to a deserted house, to hear
terrible stories of people being “Pushed off” and being forced to “Get Out” by
the banks. While no human being likes being told what to do, much less leave
something they love and have worked hard for, the farmers had a particular
reaction. Someone from a more urban society would have been angered by the fact
that they were not being compensated for their land and home. These humble
farmers had a different reaction. They were depressed and saddened by the thought
of leaving home. They felt like a part of their humanity was being torn away,
and they attempted to fight back, but understood reason that the people doing
the “Pushing off” were not the decision makers, but just pawns in this large
game which they did not understand. While some of these farmers took this as an
opportunity to find other fields of work, most of them decided to stay in the
same line of work, and look for employment elsewhere. Because of their willing
attitude, and ability to work hard, they saw the handbills from California
promising work as exciting pieces of news that gave them hope. With much
anticipation, they packed up their belongings, and left their homes behind.
However, this must have been absolutely heart wrenching, as was shown in a
scene where Grandpa Joad refused to leave his home of 70 years. Sobbing on the
dusty ground, he picked up handfuls of dirt, and declared to the unrelenting
wind: “This is MY country, and I belong here! This is MY dirt! It’s no good,
but it’s mine!”
The reality of this situation was the fact that the farmers
were not seen as people by the larger corporations who took ownership of the
land. I’m sure if you asked an executive directly, they would acknowledge the
humanity of the farmers, but there was a lot of symbolism contrasting the haves
and have-nots. Whenever the representatives of the banks, employers, or
landowners would show up, they always were dressed impeccably in nice suits,
driving high end automobiles, and always were accompanied by an authority
figure, usually a deputy or sheriff. This underscored the fact that the farmers
simply were not in charge, and had to do what they were told, or suffer the
consequences. There was also emotional connection to the arrival of those in charge.
There was a definite dark, hopeless, foreboding feeling whenever the nice
automobile drove up, you knew that something bad was bound to happen.
As the film progressed, there was a scene where lots of
hopeful farmers were gathered together; they were having an enjoyable time,
listening to music, singing, and just enjoying what would be expected of a farming
community who had the deep sense of brotherhood that was portrayed so well.
There was one, however, who had been to California, and back, and he was
warning everyone not to go. He tried explaining to them the dangers and disappointment
they would encounter, but no one wanted to listen to him. This makes sense for
a lot of reasons, but mainly because it was one of the last pieces of hope the
farmers had to hold on to. Most of the farmers reacted negatively, and refused
to believe anything, and even justified his news as reality for him, but not
for them.
The migrant workers, who were called “Okies” by everyone
else, had a certain amount of prejudice following them wherever they went. The
Joads encountered this multiple times throughout the movie. Their first
encounter with this prejudice was a mixed one. As often happened, at least at
first, there were times where people had preconceptions and prejudices about “Okies”,
but once dealing with them directly, their tone changed, and their human side
shone through with compassion. There is a scene with a diner, where the
waitress is particularly vocal about her irritation and distaste of the
migrants, but then, after interacting directly, she changes her tone, and
helps. She even goes as far as to lie about the price of some candy, and sell
it for less than it was worth. Because of her example, some truck drivers turn
the deed back to her, and give the store their change that was due back to
them. The Joads are oblivious to a lot of what is going on, and don’t
understand why they were being dealt with harshly in the first place. They are
extremely polite and kind to the waitress, even when she was being quite rude
to them.
Through the rest of the movie, as times get worse and worse
for the Joads, as well as the rest of the “Okies”, there is a constant
foreboding sense of doom. Losing the farms made the farmers feel like they lost
some of their humanity. There is a sense of emptiness, a sense of everything
being too close. Farmers tend to be collectivist, when they moved to
California; they had to face the reality of every man for themselves. They
tried to still be the good people they believed they were, but the situations
they were forced to be in often took over. The Joad family slowly falls apart,
through a few deaths, desertions, and finally, when Tom had to leave because he
had committed what was a justified crime, even though the law did not see it
that way, and did not want to damage the family any further. It is shown over
and over again that the Okies are just trying to get by, and have a sense of
community, but the Californians (at least the ones they end up interacting
with) tend to have more of a disposable view of the migrant workers.
Through it all, they learned how to persevere. Near the end
of the movie, there was a conversation about fear, and how life just keeps on
going, and it is best to go on, and that a beating makes you tough. With the final
statement of “We are the people.” The movie drew to a close. The final scene
was a long line of cars, but this line was hopeful somehow. Maybe as a result
of the line, maybe the cinematography, but it left a strong feeling of resolve.
Even through deep trials and hardship, these humble farmers were willing to
persevere, learn from their problems, and toughen out even the worst of
humanity.
Works Cited:
Works Cited:
1.
The Grapes
of Wrath. Dir. John Ford. Perf. Henry Fonda, Jane Darwell, John Carradine,
Charley Grapewin, Doris Bowden, Russell Simpson, O.Z. Whitehead, John Qualen,
Eddie Quillan, Zeffie Tilbury. 20th Century Fox, 1940. Internet
based Streaming video. (Netflix)
