"He was foolin', all the time. I think he knowed it. He knowed it. You fellas can make some kinda new life, but Grampa, his life was over and he knowed it. An' Grampa didn' die tonight. He died the minute you took 'im off the place." (146)
I think this is a powerful quote from Reverend Jim Casy, regarding Grampa's death. As I was reading Chapter 13, this quote really spoke to me. I think the quote is really deep and captures Grampa's connection to the Oklahoma farmland. I think this quote speaks on behalf of many farmers during the Great Depression, actually. It was a difficult decision to migrate west for many tenant farmers during the 1930s, mostly because they built generations of life on their farms. A farmer had such an incredible bond to his/her land and migrating to California broke that bond. When the Joad family decides to move to California, Grampa decides he wants to stay in Oklahoma in the very last minute. He says that he wants to stay "where [he] belong[s]". Casy explores the idea that Grampa felt trouble the moment he left the farm. Grampa belonged on the farm and he lost himself on the way to California. I think this idea relates to many farmers who develop strong connections with their life as a farmer in Oklahoma. These farmers have experienced great memories on their farms and they have ultimately become one with their land. Migrating west was difficult as they were forced to abandon this lifestyle and their memories, though they did not have much choice. Moving provided an internal conflict with these farmers, I believe. I think the concept of transitioning to a new life was difficult to grasp, in this case. In Chapter 5, there is a quote from tenant men that says,
"We measured it and broke it up. We were born on it, and we got killed on it, died on it. Even if it's no good, it's still ours. That's what makes it ours---being born on it, working on it, dying on it. That makes ownership, not a paper with numbers." (33)
This quote illustrates Grampa's passion towards the farmland, along with other tenant farmers. The land became a part of them and they felt that they could not abandon it, as it was
their land. So, when the Joad family forced Grampa to travel with them, Grampa gave up. He knew that there was nothing left for him in California. Grampa did not want to abandon his dear Oklahoma and he lost his sense of happiness when he left the farm. I think the most powerful part of Reverend Casy's quote is,
"He died the minute you took 'im off the place."
This statement in itself has such a captivating message. Casy declares that Grampa's life was over when they decided to bring him with them to California though he refused. I think Grampa's actual death felt less painful to him than leaving his life behind. Grampa died of a stroke and died an unpeaceful death. I am sure he would have preferred to die "where [he] belong[s]". I can feel the passion behind Casy's words. Grampa "died" when he was forced to leave. Farmers developed impressive relationships with their land and walking away from them emotionally damaged these farmers. I think this quote could foreshadow similar experiences for the Joads, where they feel as though they lost a part of them while traveling. However, the Joads are extremely fixed on the idea of California being a "promise land" without any obstacles, despite the negative things they have heard from other people. Maybe California is not going to be the right fit for them and they will feel a loss of identity. I think the Joads are experiencing that "traveling is a fool's paradise" as they are blind to reality, so they could be confronted by an unfortunate surprise in the future.
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