Theme of Strength Through Unity in The Grapes of WrathThe traditional human family represents a necessary transition between self and community. In the difficult times of the 1930s, the role of the family changed to protect itself against a hostile outside world rather than to ensure a link with it. With the drought in the Dust Bowl and other tragedies of the Great Depression, many were forced to look beyond the traditional family unit and embrace their kinship with others with similar needs. In his novel The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck uses the theme of strength through unity to comment on the relationship between the dissolution of individual families and the unification of migrant peoples. The Joad family's journey west illustrates this as they leave a parched Oklahoma, arrive in a hostile California, and eventually settle there among others as undesirable as themselves. With Tom's return to the family at the beginning of the story, the Joad family is united again, although at the same time we see them completely isolated from the other migrants. It was only after the loss of a proverbial "right-hand man" of the family (grandfather) that the family was first unified with others, the Wilsons. As their journey progresses, they lose more and more members and face increasing difficulties, but in each situation, the two families act as one and persevere. Grandma follows her husband to the grave, Ivy Wilson's health deteriorates, Noah leaves the family he knows doesn't really love him, their cars continually break down and their money quickly disappears. Vehicles, food, and money are all shared, but with the loss of a family, the entire group benefits. The Joad family's experiences upon arriving in California are in the middle of paper......N's baby was stillborn. , meaning a terrible loss for the Joad family. Soon after, they meet another family and Rose of Sharon is able to use the milk intended for her dead child to help a sick and starving old man. Additionally, Rose of Sharon used her own milk, something normally reserved for family, signifying the absence of a traditional family and rather a universal family with a common fate. Throughout the story, about half of the Joad family dies. or disappears, but by the end of the novel the Joads find themselves in a desperate but relatively comfortable position. Indeed, by abandoning their loved ones, they were welcomed into society as a whole. John Steinbeck thus uses the theme Unity Leads to Survival to comment on the relationship between the dissolution of individual families and the unification of migrant peoples..