Mrs. Sandry

Mrs. Sandry was the woman in the government camp that told Rose of Sharon that if she sinned, her baby would die. "'You take heed. I warned you. You take heed a that poor chile in your belly an' keep outa sin.' And she strode away titanically, and her eyes shone with virtue" (424). After their first conversation, Rose of Sharon panics because she and Connie 'hug-danced', and according to Mrs. Sandry, that is a sin and Rose of Sharon's baby would die for it. Of course, Ma assures her that Mrs. Sandry is just a trouble maker and that the baby would be fine. 

Then Rose of Sharon has her baby and it dies. And even though I should feel sympathy for Rose of Sharon because I just lost her child, I mostly just feel angry at Steinbeck for proving that awful woman right. I know technically it isn't proof of what she said, it was just a coincidence because Rose of Sharon didn't get enough food, just like the other girls, but the person that it matters most to is Rose of Sharon, and in her mind that will count as proof that God killed her baby because of her sin. So not only does Rose of Sharon have that horrible guilt on her, now there is one more person in the world that thinks like Mrs. Sandry. Not that Rose of Sharon would ever go and purposely upset pregnant girls like Mrs. Sandry did, but she will still believe that God would kill an innocent child because of another person's sins. I just don't understand why Steinbeck would prove that awful woman 'right'. In my mind, he either should have had the baby live to prove her wrong, or not include her in the book and then have the baby die. 

Adrian - TGOW Essay

Topic: Character Development
Thesis: As the story progressed, Tom Joad's character and personality changed more than that of any other character and became stronger because of it.

Holly- TGOW essay

Topic: How does the novel deal with gender? What are the different roles of men and women? Do these roles intersect? Are they separate? What do these roles illustrate about the relationships between men and women, particularly in the context of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression?

Working thesis: In the beginning of the book, the roles of men and women are very separated, but the challenges they face force the characters to slowly start to disregard these roles.
Kind of.
It's a working thesis. Keep that in mind.

Mary-Kate-TGOW essay

TOPIC: Discuss Steinbeck's inclusion of religious/biblical allusions. What religious symbols does he use and why? What point is Steinbeck making through the use of these allusions?

WORKING THESIS: Through the use of biblical allusions in characters and religious symbols throughout the narrative, Steinbeck shows the Okies source(origin?derivation?) of strength from which they drew.

Does this thesis make sense? Wording? Trying to say that Steinbeck is saying that people relied on themselves and God, even if they didn't know it, and that was how they had the ability to live the way they did. God/religion is source of strength.

Eliza- TGOW Essay

Topic: Family and community
Thesis: Throughout The Grapes of Wrath, the poor families fleeing the Dust Bowl formed strong communities that were key in their survival of the Great Depression.