The Journey Begins

 The Grapes of Wrath

First Quarter

The story begins with the introduction of the main character, Tom Joad. Tom is a young man who just got released from the McAlester State Penitentiary after serving a four-year sentence following a manslaughter conviction. Tom tries to go back to his father's farm, and to do so, he asks a truck driver he meets at a restaurant for a lift, and even though he is not supposed to, the truck driver accepts to welcome Tom on his vehicle for a little. During their ride, the trucker tells Tom he is surprised that the farm has not been taken away from the family yet. He also says that times are changing, as he tells Tom that farmer's families are getting sent away from their propriety. He is obviously referring to the Great Depression, during which farmers were kicked out of their farms because they could not afford to pay for them anymore, and this in part because of the Dust Bowl. The trucker then stops right beside the road leading to the Joad's farm. Tom gets out and continues his journey to get back home on foot.

As he walks on the road leading to his father's farm, Tom notices a man sitting under a tree. Tom then approaches him to ask if everything is alright. The man looks at him and recognizes him. He introduces himself as Jim Casy, the former preacher of Tom's childhood church. He then tells Tom about how he renounced his former profession after sinning many times. He tells Tom about his way of seeing things, as he tells him he believes there is no such thing as a superior Holy spirit, and that the human spirit represents the true Holy spirit for him. Tom then explains to Jim why he was incarcerated, and then says he hasn't seen his family in a while. After they are both done to get to know each other, Jim asks Tom if he can come along with him on his trip home. Tom accepts, and the two men head down the road towards the Joads family's farm. Once they reach their destination, they realize, to their astonishment, that the farm has been abandoned.

The Joads' farm was ripped apart on one side. It was now obvious nobody was living there anymore. However, and this seemed strange to Tom, usable materials and tools were still present in the sheds, suggesting neighbors had to have left too since otherwise, there would have been evidence of scavenging. Shortly after their arrival, the two travelers see Murley Graves, one of the neighbors, walking towards them. Murley explains how his family and Tom's were forced to abandon their farms and were now planning to buy a car and go to California. He also told Tom his family was right now at his uncle John's place. After a while, the three men settled in a small fire camp and started eating. However, they were brutally interrupted by police beacons and sirens. They all went to hide, and Murley explained that policemen were traveling around the county making sure no one who was kicked off was still remaining. They then all went to sleep near a cave after the policemen's departure and the next day, Jim and Tom went back on the road to reach Tom's uncle's place as fast as possible. They invited Murley to come with them but he declined the offer, saying he could not leave his house, even though his family had already left a while ago.

After a while, Tom and Jim finally arrive at Uncle John's farm. Tom finally gets reunited with his family, and readers get introduced to a bunch of new characters. Firstly, Pa Joad and Ma Joad, Tom's parents, are presented as they communicate with Tom, whom they almost did not recognize at first. Then, Noah, Tom's brother, is introduced. A little while after, Tom's grandparents, who are called Grampa and Granma in the story, are introduced as they happily ask questions to Tom. Finally, Tom also gets to see Al, his sixteen-year-old brother, Ruthie and Windfield, his two younger siblings, John, his uncle, Rose of Sharon, his pregnant sister, and her husband, who is named Connie. Through the last few bits of the first quarter, readers get to witness the family's preparation for a trip to California, as they plan to leave soon. They gather materials and furniture and pack them in a car they bought by selling most of their valuable belongings. Jim asks the family if he can come with them on the trip, and they accept since they consider everyone should have the chance to go live in the "marvelous" California. Indeed, Ma read some flyers saying California was a wonderful place full of jobs, and most of the family members seem to consider it as being some sort of Utopia. In the end, after a small confrontation with Grampa who finally did not want to leave, they finally hit the road, Highway 66, heading towards California.

Thoughts

Throughout the first quarter of the book, nothing much significant happens. Readers get introduced to all the characters, get to know them and their personalities as well as the situation they are in. There is not that much progress in the story as it is mainly a description part. However, it is one of the most important parts of the book, even when considering the lack of action it contains since it allows the characters', context's, and the story's introduction. Finally, this first part of the book greatly showcases the struggle through which farmers had to go following the Dust-Bowl and the beginning of the Great Depression.