Chapter 20 finds the Joads in Hooverville, where harsh
reality further intrudes upon their idealistic vision of solidarity.
The Joads have already encountered fellow migrants who do not share their
desire to cooperate. The men who have failed to make a living in
California, for example, show little interest in joining forces
with the family. Disillusioned by their experiences, these men openly doubt
and even mock the Joads’ optimism. This unfriendliness, combined
with an intensifying scarcity of resources, makes it increasingly
difficult for the Joads to honor bonds other than those of kinship.
The scene in which Ma Joad prepares her stew offers a powerful illustration
of this. Here, the scarcity of food forces her to walk a thin line
between selfish interest in her own family and generosity toward
the larger community. Yet, while Ma looks to the needs of her family
first, she does manage to do what she can to alleviate some of the
hunger of the onlooking children. Her compassion toward these strangers,
whom she nonetheless considers her people, elevates her above the
bleak and hateful circumstances that surround her.
While Ma expresses her devotion to community by sharing
her stew with her fellow migrants’ children, Tom and Casy begin
to express this devotion in more overtly political ways and with
a sense of often violent outrage. The incident surrounding Floyd
Knowles and the fruit-picking contractor signifies the beginning
of the two men’s involvement in the burgeoning movement to organize migrant
labor, to protect workers against unfair treatment and unlivable
wages. Although the men have always possessed a sense for injustice,
they do not act on their convictions until they witness Floyd Knowles’s
impassioned speech against unfair labor practices. While the hardships
facing the family serve to kindle devotions in some, they serve
to rupture loyalties in others. Connie’s decision to abandon his
wife and unborn child affects Rose of Sharon deeply and constitutes
a turning point for her. His departure disabuses the girl of all
notions of a charmed life in the big city and forces her to come
to terms with the conditions in which she lives.
