How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
The families moved westward, and the technique of building the worlds improved so that the people could be safe in their worlds; and the form was so fixed that a family acting in the rules knew it was safe in the rules. (17.10)
The country has allowed these families to lose their lands and has done little to help them rebuild their lives. As a result, these families must create their own miniature countries in which to function and think. These families are in need of structure, of a society that cares about them.
Quote #8
Each member of the family grew into his proper place, grew into his duties; so that each member, old and young, had his place in the car; so that in the weary, hot evenings, when the cars pulled into the camping places, each member had his duty and went to it without instruction: children to gather wood, to carry water; men to pitch tents and bring down the beds; women to cook the supper and to watch while the family fed. And this was done without command. (17.14)
Why would it be important for everyone to know their place in these camp communities?
Quote #9
[Ma Joad:] "Use' ta be the family was fust. It ain't so now. It's anybody." (30.48)
Ma Joad articulates a huge shift in the way the Joad family functions. At the beginning of their journey, when they had just been kicked off of their land and when everyone was still alive and still part of the family, every Joad seemed to know that the family unit was more important than their own wants and needs. That's why they were so appalled by people like Will Feeley who drives a tractor for the landowners – he was thinking about himself and not the larger community. The Dust Bowl and the dire circumstances in California has broken the Joad's family, has made people more self-interested.