Chapters 21-22

THE GRAPES OF WRATH—Chapters 21-22 Discussion Questions

CHAPTER 21
1. What are the causes that contribute to the changes in the character of the migrant people?




2. As a result of the growing numbers of migrant people, what changes take place in the locals?




3. How are the “little people” of California similar to the “Okies”?




4. Explain this quote: “The great landowners were glad . . . And pretty soon now we’ll have serfs again.”





CHAPTER 22
5. What are the major differences between Weedpatch and the Hoovervilles?




6. Is Weedpatch Steinbeck’s version of Paradise? Is there a serpent? Explain your answers.





7. Timothy invites Tom to join Wilkie and him at work, even though it means fewer hours for the Wallaces. How does this action contribution to the “we” theme of the novel?





8. What is the connection between the Bank of the West and the Farmer’s Association? How does the landowner explain this to the men?




9. Why does the Association dislike the government camps?


10. What does Ma mean when she says, “We come home to our own people . . . Why, I feel like people again,”?




11. Describe the atmosphere at Ma’s tent. What contributes to that atmosphere?




12. What does the “sin-woman” represent? How does Rose of Sharon react? How does Ma deal with her when she appears again?




13. The members of the “committee” have a sense of self-importance. Is self-importance of value? Explain.




14. How do the children handle adapting to their new environment?




15. What do Pa, Al, and John discover about the availability of work?




16. After their emotionally torturous ordeal, what are Ma and Pa finally realizing?




17. The family is temporarily happy. What events foreshadow the problems to come?