The Grapes of Wrath #3

I think the theme of this book is persistence or dedication. The family had a lot of problems on their trip to the west but they kept going no matter what they ran into. Tom was on parole and could not leave the state but they went on anyways. They had a lot of luggage and found a way to split their luggage with someone else so they could get over the mountain. Their car broke down more than once and Al and Tom had to fix it. Their grandfather died of a stroke but the had to continue without him. Noah decided to stay behind and they had to move without him. Their grandmother died and the continued on with out her also. There were a lot of bumps in the road but the continued traveling because they had hope. Once they got to California they could not find work. But, the men went out for days and days in a row and continued to look hoping that something would come that could keep the family alive. Then in a Hooversville Tom tripped a police officer to try and keep his new friend safe. The family needed Tom to stay with them so Casy took the blame for the crime and the family continued to go on. Once the family set their mind on it they went for it. They had a lot of issues and it would have been easier to just go back home and try to find a living their. They would at least have a house to live in and animals to kill for meat back at home. The family ran out of money and had to live of fried dough. But, the men still left and looked for jobs every day no matter what. Their hopes were dropping lower and lower every day but they kept pushing forward and kept trying to make their lives great. "The migrant people, scuttling for work, scrabbling to live, looked always for pleasure, dug for pleasure, manufactured pleasure, and they were hungry for amusement." (Steinbeck 325) I think this quote says that the people were trying hard to find work but also tried hard to be happy and continue living. I think that's what the book was all about.