Exploration 6

The character I am most invested in at this point is Tom. No matter what is going on, he is stepping up and has become the leader of the family. When Uncle John goes away to get drunk, he knocks him out to bring him back to the family so they can move on. When the preacher takes the blame for Tom, he wants to deny it but Casy won't let him. When Floyd tells the Joad's there's work in the south, Tom gets the family together and takes them, even bypassing the locals who are trying to keep them out. Without Tom I think the family would have fallen apart and never made it to California, he is their rock.

I think the conflict that is most important is the small one between the locals and Tom. They threaten to hurt them if they come through their part of town, and even though Tom wanted to beat the senseless, a little help from Ma kept him from getting into trouble. When Tom turned around, he waited for them to leave in order to get the Joad's work and away from the Hooverville. "Goin' South, we couldn't let them bastards push us aroun'." This conflict demonstrates how the Joad's are going to be treated throughout their journey to find work, shelter, and food, and it think it represents Tom's determination to start a new and prosperous life for them.

I chose the theme, "Abuse of Power". Throughout the story there is police control over citizens when there is no right to control those who are trying to get around and make a living. I find it completely ridiculous that just because someone is handed a badge and a gun they think they can control whomever they want. People have their rights, and sometimes law enforcement uses their "ability" way out of line and do things in order to keep their job. In the book it discussed how police have to bring in a certain number of felons, and I believe this to still be true today. Some law enforcement abuse their right when it comes to traffic laws. There could be someone getting pulled over for going 5 miles over the speed limit, yet those who go 20 miles over rarely get caught, just because police are required to meet a quota.  I feel like abuse of power happens constantly and there is nothing regular people today, nor the Joad's could have done anything about it.