Reseacher Chapter 8-9

Researcher Chapter 8-9

"Okie"- The term Okie originally denotes a resident or native of the state of Oklahoma. In the 1930s, especially in California, the termed referred to very poor, homeless, and starving migrants of Oklahoma and other nearby states (Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, New Mexico, etc.) The Okie migration brought in over than a million newly displaced people to the far West.

This relates to Steinbeck's historical novel, The Grapes of Wrath, because the Joad family was a  fictional three-generation Oklahoma family that hoped to move westward to California. The Joad family did not have many possessions and did not find the experience as easy as they had originally thought, like many other Okies of the the 1930s. The Joad family did not find assimilation in California as straightforward as they has dreamed in their heads, because there were many financial and social obstacles.

Mental Strains of Living in Prison- When a person goes to prison, or any type of detention center, they are closed off for their families, friends, and ultimately society. Also, they are seen as the villains of society. This can result to a permanent mental disability to those that are unaccustomed to the isolation and fear. When individuals go to prison, they also let go of their responsibility because they know when they are going to receive their next meal.

This relates to The Grapes of Wrath because Tom Joad had just been released from prison and sees life from a different perspective.  An example is when he ells the former-reverend Jim Casey about how many of his roommates in prison developed different personalities as time progressed. He also told Casey a story about a bunk mate who left prison, however, didn't know how to live life without protection and security. As a result, the former bunk mate stole an car and returned to prison once more. Joad confessed that when he first left prison he also felt at an unease. In Chapter eight, Joad reunited himself with the family he has not seen in four years. When his mother sees him, she worried herself that Tom Joad may have driven himself insane in prison. She said that she knew the mother of a gangster called "Purty Boy Floyd" who went "mean-mad" in prison.

That connects to modern life because while some people leave prison enlightened, others leave mentally strained and continue to practice what they know is wrong. There are many cases where people don't know how to take care of themselves, now that they have to take on responsibility again. Life in prison can be dehumanizing and, as a result, can lead to permanent mental strains.