Exploration 6

The character that interests me the most is Tom Joad. I like Tom Joad because of this honest and outgoing personality. He never hides anything and is not afraid to "say it to your face." The person that I connect or empathize with the most is the preacher, Casey. This is simply because I think he is a very good-hearted guy. He gives up his freedom for Tom and usually has a positive attitude. I see these as qualities of a person that I would like and be able to relate to.

I think the Joad family's biggest problem at the moment is finding a job because if they cant, they will be forced to separate or just have to live in even worse conditions. Ma Joad realizes this when she notes that "A different times a comin'" (Steinbeck 230).

I think a theme from the book that I still feel is somewhat relevant today is police brutality. When the police arrested Floyd and threatened to burn down the camp, I feel like it was the wrong position to take for the police and I don't think the police would do that today. I also thought it was wrong of the police to immediately arrest anyone who rebelled in the slightest, or sometimes for no reason. However, these themes are still somewhat relevant today because I often hear cases where the police shoot people on the spot when they don't even have a weapon and in other cases of police brutality. That being said, society has definitely improved int he way that they behave and interact with the police.