Chapters 11-15- Family/Unity - Letter [D]

         Before the move, the family believed that no one gets left behind. When Casy wanted to join them, they were skeptical at first, but remembered what they stood for and allowed him to join the family. Ma had said, "...I never heerd tell of no Joads or no Hazlettes, neither, ever refusin' food an' shelter or a lift on the road to anybody that asked...An' any time when we got two pigs an' over a hundred dollars, an' we wonderin' if we can feed a fella-"(102). This shows that no matter what, they have a duty to help one another out, like a family. This creates a sense of unity with the Joads and with those they help. This "no one gets left behind" attitude forced them to drug Pa and bring him along when he wanted to stay with Muley. They even offered to take on Muley if he wanted to. They barely had any room, they did not have enough money, and they did not have very much food but they brought Casey along anyways. Also, the Joads offered to help the Wilsons. Even though the Wilsons did not have any money and had a broken down truck, the Joads went out of their way to fix the car and take them too. Sairy was really sick too, but they still brought her and Ivy. They still wanted to keep everyone together because they believed that it would help them get through their journey. Being one big family was their top priority. Now that they've been on the road a while and their resources are dwindling, they are facing the cold hard truth that something's should be left alone. On the road, Rose of Sharon told Ma that her and Connie are going to move into the city without the family. She is making a conscious decision to start her life without everyone around her. Ma at first got a little upset, but she just went along with it. She did not pay too much attention to what Rosasharn was saying. Also, when Noah wants to leave, Tom didn't do very much to stop him. Of course Tom could have forced him to go just as they did with Grandpa, but all he did was talk to him and then go to sleep. He did not think it was a priority to alert the family that Noah was leaving. Finally when Tom told Ma that Noah left, she was saddened by it but she didn't start a search for him. She didn't use her amazing intimidation powers to convince the family to find him. She stood there and said, "Family's fallin' apart"(216) and got back to her duties. Although this unity that Ma wanted so badly is there, it is breaking apart. Grandpa had just died, the Wilson's wanted to be left behind, and now Noah wants to stay. She tried so hard to keep the family from breaking up but she can't help it anymore. This is why she did not go after Noah. They are now just focusing on how they can get to California. They want the family to be together, but they realize that it is impossible to keep everyone together. When the Joads reach a river, Noah tells Tom that he wants to stay. Tom then asks Noah if he has considered what the family might think of his absence and Noah says,"I can't he'p it. I can't leave this here water"(208). The family's goal was to get to California together and to solve any problems they face as a whole. However, Noah changed his goal. Instead of wanting to stay together like the rest of the Joads, he decided to stay. He made his decision without consulting anyone. This shows the change in his opinion about unity and family. He went from believing that 'they cannot move on unless everyone is together' to 'they can all move on without him because he is not as important as them.'