Hope and the Establishment of Two Heroes
By Mary Brune, with comments by Carol Gergis and Charlotte Malmborg
[1] Arguably the most powerful scene in The Grapes of Wrath, Tom’s leaving functions as not only a conclusion but a confirmation of the roles of Tom and Ma Joad in their family and as crucial archetypes of the Great Depression altogether. The scene begins with Tom packing up his few belongings in the middle of the night, ready to turn his back on his family forever. However, his intentions are pure. There’s a warrant out for his arrest and his departure is the only way to ensure the Joad family’s safety. Woken up by Tom’s scrambling, Ma gets out of bed, and they say their final goodbyes. This scene would have been underwhelming and insignificant without the great attention to detail from both the director and actors. Together, the two parties achieve a dramatic, yet believable conclusion to the film.
[2] Throughout the movie, Ma Joad is static in strength and composure. This is not brawns, but a kind of power that comes from one’s core. It comes from the love and deep care for one’s family. Ma’s strength is quiet. It is humble. When Ma says farewell to her son, she is finally given the opportunity to establish her position as the anchor of the Joad family. This is the time when she speaks to Pa about the hardihood of a woman and says, “With a woman, it's all in one flow like a stream. Little eddies and waterfalls, but the river it goes right on.†By giving Ma this powerful speech, Ford gives credit to the unseen heroes of the Great Depression that Steinbeck failed to acknowledge: the caretakers, the mothers, the wives, the strength, the women.
[3] Steinbeck’s original plan had a much less feminist tone. The Grapes of Wrath novel did not afford Ma Joad the opportunity to demonstrate her importance to the family. Steinbeck’s plot ended with Tom as the lone hero of the Dust Bowl. Tom’s speech in both the movie and the novel are almost identical. His thoughts about everyone being a part of a bigger soul is not a creation of Ford but taken directly from Steinbeck. Tom’s farewell speech about bringing justice to his fellow victims of the depression solidifies him as the all-American hero. He comes to represent all of the individual heroes of the Dust Bowl: the people who took a stand, spoke up when they felt something was not right, drove for miles to find a better home for their spouse and children, or worked long hours for starvation wages in order to feed their family.
[4] In addition to the sole focus on male heroism, Steinbeck’s novel ended with a more closed, confirmed conclusion. Opposed to closing with Tom’s figure in the distance, leaving the viewer to imagine the fate of the Joads on their own, Steinbeck leaves no ends untied. The family is left in even worse a state as the main male figure of the family leaves. The reader experiences Rosesharn’s devastating stillbirth that functions as an allusion to the story of baby Moses, who also was sent adrift down a river. Both children serve as a messenger to the rest of the world, sharing their story and spreading awareness of the pain and suffering that has come across their land. (see comment by Charlotte Malmborg)
[5] The first clip of this scene begins with dark, dim lighting. All that is visible is Tom’s shadow against the canvas wall of the tent. It is as if he has already become just a memory, a ghost to the family as he prepares to depart. But then Ma is woken, and they both leave the tent to say their goodbyes. Tom is no longer a shadow as they speak for the last time. Instead, his face is illuminated as he talks of a better world, a world he plans to fight for. The illumination reflects his excitement and the hope for a brighter future. Besides Ma and Tom’s faces, the entire setting is concealed by the dark sky like a black curtain. The curtain is hiding the future of the Joads and every other family trying to find hope in a more promising tomorrow. The world around them is unknown, just as their fate is unknown.
[6] The silence is uncanny, except for the occasional chirp of a cricket, while Ma and Tom sit alone under the stars. The quiet creates intimacy between the two characters that would have been difficult to perceive in a more chaotic setting. The silence works hand in hand with the camera angles. Close and personal, the camera acts as a quiet, unencroaching third person sitting in on the conversation. This immerses the viewer in the moment, as if the viewer were actually present. The camera perspective parallels the connection between Ma and Tom. The camera is zoomed-in incredibly close as they share their last thoughts with each other. But once Tom leaves, the camera is no longer near. Tom is simply a figure on the far horizon, distant physically and emotionally from his family. (see comment by Carol Gergis)
[7] The component which completes this scene is the impeccable performance by the actors, Henry Fonda and Jane Darwell, playing Ma and Tom Joad. The attention to detail, specifically to the body language, is incredibly captivating. Both actors have solemn expressions throughout the scene except for when Tom begins to talk about his plan to bring justice to his fellow workers and their families. Fonda communicates his character’s excitement by widening his eyes as a sort of blank stare comes across them. The blank stare demonstrates Tom’s distance from the moment, from reality, as he imagines his ideal world in which children do not have to starve as their parents desperately try to find their next paycheck. Once coming back to reality, Tom’s eyes become dull and tired. He takes his hat off and fiddles with it, illustrating his anxiety about his leaving.
[8] Similar to Fonda’s performance, Jane Darwell utilizes small but crucial mannerisms to portray the emotions of her character. Darwell’s expression is one of the most obvious means of expressing Ma’s feelings. Her face is fairly static throughout, only changing as the lines on her face deepen with sadness and regret. Darwell’s lips tighten and become a thin line from cheek to cheek as she shows the great effort it is taking Ma to control her emotions. As the rock of the family, she is trying to stay strong and not break down as her oldest son prepares to leave the family forever. Ma’s hands are tightly holding each other, another sign of the immense effort it is taking her to restrict tears from falling.
[9] As a whole, this scene not only functions as a conclusion to the story but works to confirm the role of Ma and Tom Joad in the family. They are established as real-life heroes, heroes that represent all of the working people of the period. Tom and Ma’s ending speeches hold an equally important purpose of leaving the viewer with a sense of hope. Without such a powerful, uplifting conclusion, the movie would have been one-sided. The most important, astonishing aspect of the Great Depression would have overlooked: the incredible spirit and hope that filled the families no matter the hardship.
Comments
Mary writes of the intimacy of Tom and Ma's conversation as they part ways. While I agree that Ford's visual portrayal of the scene indicates a growing distance between them, I see it as all part of a cycle as opposed to an end. At the start of the movie, Tom reunites with his family after several years of imprisonment. At the film's end, Tom has left to avoid being imprisoned once again. It seems to me that if the story were to be continued, Tom would be brought back to his family after some time. This emotional and physical distance between Tom and Ma is necessary for the sake of the Joads' safety, but it also serves to further strengthen the family in preparation for what will come next. As Mary points out at the end of her analysis of the scene, Ford's film ends with hope rather than despair, and Tom's departure only seems to add to that feeling. Audiences can feel assured that the family will press on and be reunited one day.
The novel may emphasize male heroism with Tom portrayed as the savior of his family through his sacrifice, but the film plays up the role of Ma Joad. For this essay it would be helpful to show the distinction between the movie ending, which is more optimistic, and the novel's ending, which continues the tale of the Joad saga. The film can capture Ma's heroism because it is the final scene in the film. If the film had continued to play out the series of events following Tom's desertion, it would be impossible to place so much emphasis on Ma's inner strength. The film ends here because the audience is more fulfilled when they see that the Joads will keep trying despite their previous failures and Tom leaving instead of undergoing more struggles while they are apart. The Steinbeck ending is more of a beginning of a new part of the Joads' life compared to the film that is more conclusive. While the discussion focuses on the difference between Ma and Tom as heroes of Grapes, it is important to see them through the scopes of the film and the novel to understand how they are portrayed differently.
