Exploration Six - Ian C.

     Young Tom Joad is the character that I resonate the most with. He's really relaxed, takes what life gives his, but some things really get under his skin. In all of the parts where he gets mad or wants to do something I notice myself feeling the same way. Not many things do get under his skin, which I think is why it's so effective when he gets mad. He laughs at most of life's troubles and carries on as if nothing out of the ordinary is happening, but he's fully aware that it is. He talks about putting one foot down in front of another, and even though he doesn't like it, he does it anyway because people depend on him and it's who he is.
     The biggest, most important conflict in this chapter was without a doubt the scuffle between the "police offficer" and the Okies. It concisely sums up exactly what was going on at the time, and shows how our protagonists react to it. They're begginning to realize this land isn't going to have hospitality, or safety or even work. Tom is particular explains their feelings toward these so-called officers of the law. "If it was the law, it'd be different. But burnin' the camp ain't the law." (pg. 381) They feel betrayed and mistreated by people who don't care, and they can't do anything because the other guys have a bigger stick. They are aggravated over the lack of 'fairness' and justice, and Tom in particular wants to fight it. Later on in the chapter he has to be held back from hitting someone who refused to let them pass.
     As a continuation of that last thought, I'm going to talk about one of the themes in these chapters. The theme is the family providing self-restraint and government. Several times in this chapter and even throughout the rest of the book, we see members of the Joad family doing whats best for the others whether or not he or she wanted it. One example of this would be when Tom knocked out uncle John when he was drunk and irrational. He did it to keep uncle John from doing anything drastic, and kept the family together even though uncle John wanted to leave. Family is very important. That's a fact. You can see it all around you, countless studies about how not having a father or mother or even siblings can effect you. A study was just recently conducted by OSU concluding that having a large family decreased your chances of divorce. Having people around you who love and care for you is just as constructive as going through hard times. Having those same people tell you when you're wrong or tell you that you can't do something is even better. Parents keep children from hurting themselves and brothers help brothers. Family is stronger together.