Summary

The novel The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck begins when the main character, Tom Joad is paroled from prison for homicide. Tom begins his journey back home to the family farm in Oklahoma, and along the way he runs into a former preacher by the name of Jim Casy, and the two travel together. Jim accompanies Tom to his home, only to find it and all the neighboring farms deserted as a result of the Dust Bowl. Soon after an old neighbor wanders by and tells Tom that everyone has left the land, and that he will find his family in California with Tom's uncle, John. When Tom and Jim arrive at Uncle John's house, Tom finds his parents packing up their belongings and planning to head to California in search of work.

Tom has to break his parole to leave Oklahoma for California, but he decides to take the risk anyway. The Joad family, along with Jim, set off for work in California, discovering along the way that seemingly every family affected by the Dust Bowl is on their way to California as well. On their way west on Route 66, the Joad family discovers that the job prospects are not as good as they originally thought. However, they have no other options and must continue their journey. Along the way, the family faces many hardships and death and tragedy.

Once they all finally reach California, they encounter a lot of hostility. The work camps are overcrowded and full of immigrants who are overworked and tired and starving. The family, along with John, struggle to find work. Things do not get any easier as the novel progresses, but Tom and John grow closer and become good friends. As their tough work continues, Tom starts to become interested in the exploitation of workers and the union. Eventually the union workers become violent, and John is killed. Witnessing this, Tom kills the policeman who killed John. Since Tom is now a fugitive, he has to run away. Before he goes, he bestows upon his mother some of the wisdom he learned from John. He tells her that wherever he runs to, he will always be a tireless advocate for the oppressed.