Observations on the Grapes of Wrath As you approach your home, you become aware of the empty barn and the crooked house collapsing near the barren ground. A closer view reveals an empty, dried-up well, an emaciated cat limping past the collapsed porch, a tree with "leaves tattered and bristling like a moulting chicken" (23), a pile of rotten intact lumber, and cracked window glass and jagged reflecting the wasteland abroad. This description portrays the Joad family home suffering from abandonment as they leave country life for better opportunities in the West. Steinbeck portrays the plight of the Joad family migrating from Oklahoma to California in search of a better life during the Great Depression in The Grapes of Wrath. As Tom Joad, stubborn, independent and protagonist, heads to the country to finally reunite with his family. after serving four years in prison, he meets the preacher character, Jim Casy (ironically with the same initials as Jesus Christ). Both unfortunately observe how the terrible effects of a dust bowl during depression impact the average hard working family. The Joad family prepares for the difficult journey across the country to the "promised" land where ignorance drives the Joad family to seek the American dream in the lost land of California. Problems emerge contiguously as Grama and Grandpa Joad die, their vehicle breaks down, money becomes a non-existent necessity, Tom gets into trouble after killing Casy's killer and his sickly, whiny daughter, Rose of Sharon, gives birth to a child who dies due to malnutrition. Grama and Grandpa Joad cannot endure the difficult journey at first, then, in old age, they rot... middle of paper... the "disciple" representing Jim when he killed his killer. His belief in transcendentalism (holiness and divinity of every man) is expressed through Jim Casy because Casy represents all the good that Steinbeck wishes exists in humanity, preaching and trying to solve problems. If Steinbeck could change society, he would make people more like Jim Casy. The main antagonist in the novel is the government; obviously, the Joad family doesn't overcome this obstacle, but somehow learns to live with the hardships that come upon them. As a result, Steinbeck sees no immediate answer to the problems that government and the rich pose for the common man, or the ending of his novel would somehow present a solution rather than a solution. He hopes to educate and persuade the reader about the evils of "some rich bastard" (48) and "the damned government"." (63).