The Grapes of Wrath is a classic novel written by American author, John Steinbeck, in 1939. The novel tells the story of the Joad family who move away from their hometown to California to seek jobs. Over time, they realize no matter where they travel, there are few chances to earn the money they deserve. The book realistically portrays the lives of people at the bottom of society, reflecting the difference between the rich and the poor during the Great Depression. One character in the book, Ma, in my opinion, is the person who possesses the most determination and strength. As a female, she owns her internal power stronger than any other characters in the book, and thus supports the family to keep moving on even during the most difficult situations.

One instance that shows Ma’s internal strength occurs after the death of Grampa and Granma. After Grampa passes away first, due to his inability to adapt to the homeless environment, it is Ma who conciliates the entire family, especially Tom, who can’t help but to blame himself for turning Grampa against his own will. Not long after, Granma dies as well, which is even a heavier blow to the family. As the first person who knows of her death, Ma’s reaction definitely shows her internal strength: she knows this piece of grave news threatens to vacillate the family’s determination, so she chooses to conceal it until the family reaches California. This decision requires steadfast courage and determination, and only because of this decision does the family not give up their journey to California, a place where they dream to have jobs and income. It is hard to imagine what sort of quarrel the family could have if they knew of Granma’s death before reaching California, but Ma’s decision eliminates all these possibilities, contributing to their successful arrival.

What’s more, Ma is also the one who stabilize everyone’s emotions at all instances, which prevents the family from breaking apart. There are several points on their journey when the family almost separates: after the death of Grampa and Granma, once Connie leaves without informing anyone, and after Tom kills a policeman and must hide from everyone, among others. In comparison to Pa, who is introduced to the readers as the family decision-maker, Ma’s reaction shows more composure and maturity. At these moments, Ma plays a crucial role in holding everyone together. She is constantly persuading everyone to stay together, for she knows that if the family breaks up, the chance of surviving will surely diminish.

Beyond holding her own family, she also offers other families a hand, which shows her kind-heartedness and empathy. As the matriarch of a family who experiences many difficulties and lacks income to feed everyone, she clearly knows the hardships of survival. Therefore, she shows compassion and helps other people, even though her family suffers through a less than ideal situation. She welcomes in the Preacher, despite the fact that more than ten people are already on the truck; she suggests for the Wilson family, who runs out of money and food, to travel with them; she provides some food to the kids at the camp, although her own family cannot have a full meal. She makes all of these gestures only because she empathizes with others, and more importantly, she has the mental strength to endure the difficulties herself.

Despite Ma’s effort to stabilize the family and help others, the Joad family still experiences irreparable loss. The grandparents die and the three sons leave, which undoubtedly creates a huge impact on the family. Precisely due to these scenes, Steinbeck’s work reflects the injustice and discrimination faced by all families like the Joads during the Great Depression. No matter how hard they try, they cannot even afford the food to barely fill their stomachs. I have also been greatly influenced by the book, as it vividly presented me with the struggles of the Great Depression, which is something that I never could have imagined.