Exploration 6

At this point of the story, I am definitely invested in Tom Joad. He is by far the most mentally and emotionally strongest character in the book. I empathize with him the most because he has a lot to lose yet he still fights for his family’s happiness every day. He puts their needs before himself every single time and truly loves and cares about them. He seems like he will stick around the longest even when everyone keeps leaving.

I think the most important conflict in these chapters was the fight scene with the cop. It gave a background of how the cops treat Oakies in California and it also shows the lengths people will make for their friends and family. The Joads finally understood what kind of treatment they would be getting for the rest of their time in California from the way that the cop was treating them. Also, when Casey took the blame for knocking the cop out, it showed that he had the upmost respect for the Joads and all that they did for him so he returned the favor by taking the blame and helping Tom and Loyd.

A theme that means a lot to this book would be leaving. It has happened throughout the book and it’s very important because each time someone leaves, whether it be leaving to go out on their own or even death, it all effects people in the book. An example of it now in the book would be Connie leaving, he left Rose of Sharon and the Joads without even telling them. It effected Rose of Sharon the most but the Joads were upset about it too. Also, when Casey took the blame for the cop getting knocked out, the Joads were grateful for his act of selflessness and it saved them from a lot more troubles.