When the novel begins, Tom Joad, the protagonist of the story, has just been released from Oklahoma State Prison. He returns home to his family and finds that the area has been deserted and everyone has been "dragged" off the land. Most of the families, including Tom's, are headed to California in search of new jobs and a new life. Tom is reunited with his family and the two decide to take a huge risk by giving up the land they have been tied to for generations. This uprooting of the family begins a long, slow change in the identity of many family members, as well as in family dynamics and structure. Previously, the Joad family relied on a traditional family structure in which men worked outside the home and made decisions while women obediently did what they were told and took care of the home and child-rearing. An example that shows how invested they are in these roles is how everyone continues to honor their grandfather as the head of the family despite the fact that he has outlived his ability to act as a valid leader, becoming just another person to be nurtured and cared for. take care. . Many maintain a traditional family structure even in times of difficulty and pressure because it gives them comfort. Some families struggle with being flexible, and research has shown that allowing you and others the space to change and adapt can be very healthy. (Price & Price, 2005) As the Joads continue their journey west in an attempt to find work in California, however, the family dynamic changes quite a bit. Dad becomes discouraged and begins to feel defeated by his growing failures. Eventually he retreats into his role as head of the family and ends up being overwhelmed by a sort of identity crisis. The painful loss of personal identity is a common theme of human existence... in the middle of paper... of the world, but one can only achieve "wholeness" by dedicating oneself to one's fellow man. He matures under stress and strives to improve the future for himself and his family. After seeing so much injustice, he finally realizes that "his" people are all people. He cannot bear to work for the well-being of his family if it means taking work from another family. He ends up leaving his family to pursue a public course of action. With his rational and calm temperament, it is no wonder that he handles such inhumane treatment so well. I would speculate that he would make an effective political leader if there was a sequel to the story. Overall, this is a story completely focused on what it means to be a family, what humans need to survive, and the idea of ​​human weakness in self-interest. Families are truly the foundation not only of society, but of humanity.