Women’s Fight in The Grapes of Wrath

【Abstract】The Grapes of Wrath is one of John Steinbeck’s classic works， through which the writer describes and praises women from various perspectives. The paper aims to dig into three generations of women’s fighting spirit， and unfold their growth history.

【Key words】perspectives; fighting spirit

【作者簡介】靳秀鳳，唐山學院外語系，副教授。

The story happened in the 1930’s， when American society was at a turning point from small-scale peasant economy to agricultural economy. During this period， farmers led a traditional life and men， as the main source of labor and income， held dominating position in the family and women stood behind men and “studied the men’s faces secretly” and judged whether their life would be hopeful or not. However， their life style was broken with tractors coming into their life to replace their labor and they walked on their way of exile and started their struggle for a better life. Women， also walked on their way of fight for freeing themselves and for their dignity.

1. Grandma’s resistance against Grandpa

As the first generation of woman in the family， Grandma’s image is briefly depicted but she impressed us deeply with her lively and lovely characteristics with strong rebellious spirit. In the novel， Grandpa tried to “torture her as children torture bugs”， Grandma’s inferior position is clearly disclosed. But Grandma did not yield to her fate and she tried to become “as mean as her husband” and she even “fired both barrels of a shotgun at her husband.” And after that， “he admired her”. From these details， we can see a strong woman who tries to be equal to her husband， the ruler in a patriarchal society.

2. Ma’s resistance against authorities

As the second generation of woman， Ma’s status has advanced a lot higher than Grandma. She is powerful in the group and has the last word. But men were still the natural leaders of the family and their solid position was embodied in every detail. For example， when the family was making a discussion， Grandpa， Pa and Uncle John were the nucleus and women had to stay behind. And on the truck， Pa and Uncle John “as befitted the heads of the clan had the honorable seats beside the driver” while Rose of Sharon， the pregnant girl had to stand in the truck bed.

The first authority Ma resisted against is Pa， the leader of the family. On the way to California， when Mr. Wilson’s car broke down and Pa decided to go further， Ma tried to keep the family together and she stepped in front of Pa and said， “ I ain’t a-gonna go”， which is the public revolt against Pa. In order to show her determination， she even “brought out a jack handle”， she challenged men’s social status and achieved success. The writer stressed women’s big role at a critical moment.

Ma showed her resisting spirit further to the second authority——a cop who called her “Okies”. She was brave enough to take a pot and threatened to attack the man. As a woman， she was fighting for her dignity， her family’s dignity， her people’s dignity. An image of a fearless and courageous woman stands in front of us and invites our immediate admiration due to her great personalities.

3. Rose of Sharon’s against Connie

Rose of Sharon is described as an innocent girl， self-centered and filled with unrealistic ideas. She is weak and sensitive， easily influenced by the surroundings. When her husband escaped， she nearly broke down and she cried and complained. Her dependence on her husband Connie caused her to turn from a happy and self-satisfactory girl into a resigned and decadent woman. With the help of Ma， she tried to grow up little by little to be a mature， independent and unselfish girl at the end of the novel， where she fed a middle-aged man with her own milk and became the pride of the mother. Undoubtedly， her growth process is her resistance against her husband’s influence and fight for freeing herself from the patriarchal society.

4. Conclusion

In conclusion， the three generations of women， especially Ma and Rose of Sharon are three typical characters successfully created by the writer. They try to grow to be models who symbolize kindness， generosity， braveness， strength and dignity and make their own contribution in the development of the human society. The three generations of women left their own radiance to us， during their fight， like shining stars. Goethe praised women’s greatness， “ Eternal women lead us up.” On the way to a better society， they have become lamps， not only illuminating themselves， but also illuminating us.

References：

[1]Steinbeck ， John， The Grapes of Wrath. Penguin Books， 1992.