Pa Joad- The Grapes of Wrath

Pa Joad throughout the story of The Grapes of Wrath showed a lot of leadership in his time. That is what families like the Joads use to look up to, the men. When Pa Joad was evicted from his farm he did not know where to go. He knew that in a matter of time that his family wanted to know where to go next. He decided to go to California where he knew that jobs were plentiful and you got a little bit of wage. Pa was a good-hearted man and he cared for his family very much. Throughout the trip to California though he started to get a little bit scared of what might happen next so he turned to Ma Joad who took control. Even though he did not like the position of listening to his wife making the decisions, he decided it was best for the family. When Steinbeck says, "Pa shook hands gravely. You're welcome here, sir" (Steinbeck 72). This shows how welcoming Pa was in order to let Jim Casy and Tom stay with them. After all the time that Tom was in jail for killing a man, Pa still realized that he was family and that he deserved to stay with them and still take them on their trip to California. Pa's values to his family were caring, loving, and conservative. Pa showed much appreciation that he had a family and a loving wife. He did not take life for granite considering living in these times when he was an old man. He decided not to give up on his family and take them west to head into California. At the end of the story once the Joads could not find any work in California Pa got lost in his thoughts and could not be a leader any more for the Joad family. He became less and less as a leader towards the end. Until the ending of the novel Pa showed much leadership and strength for the Joad family.

Bibliography

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2002. Print.