Women vs. Men in Grapes of Wrath

Women and men play a big role in society, but in this time period they have different roles unique to their gender. During their journey to California, it seems as though Ma is calmer than Pa until their car breaks down. When the car breaks down, Tom tells everyone to continue to California while Tom and Casy fix the car and then they will meet up with everyone once the car is fixed. The idea of this put Ma on edge and she put her foot down, refusing to let the plan go any further. Women were like the glue of the family, which is what Ma is doing in this scene. She is worried they will never find each other again and can't bear the idea of that. Women were more family and household oriented and men more focused on what needs to be done. Because of this, the reader can understand why Ma went crazy at Tom's idea and why Pa agreed with it. The Joad men and women respond differently to disaster. The men, mainly Pa, are more levelheaded and will do what is needed to help the rest of the family succeed. On the other hand, the women, mainly Ma, care more about family and how well the family is doing. The reader can see this when Grandpa is being buried. It is illegal for them to bury Grandpa, but the men brought up the fact that the family doesn't have much money left and could not afford to properly bury him. Ma went along with the idea and even comforted the children during the loss. Pa focuses on the the situation while Ma focuses on the well being of everyone in the family. With both women and men working together, they came to an agreement on how to handle the situation that would help the family and their trip. Although women and men have their different roles during this time period, both roles are important to the well being of the family and finding the best solution to the problems they face along the way.