Themes by Chapter (Document)

Themes

Chapter 1

• Hope vs. Hopelessness
• The environment
• Family

Chapter 2

• Trust vs. Suspicion
• Rich vs. Poor
• Big Ag/Big Business vs. Farmers andSharecroppers
• “Everyman”

Chapter 3

• Perseverance
• The environment/nature
• Overcoming obstacles/adversity
• Movement

Chapter 4

• Religion: good or bad?
• The spirit
• Prison vs. Freedom
• Loneliness
• Leading and leadership

Chapter 5

• Hopelessness
• Helplessness and powerlessness
• Revolutionary
• Connection to the land
• Nameless, faceless, “monster”
• Dehumanizing
• Rape of the land
• Selfish vs. selfless
• Phalanx theory

Chapter 6

• Hopelessness
• Helplessness
• Abandon
• Loneliness
• Connection to the land
• Memory
• Community
• Selfish vs. selfless
• Independence

Chapter 7

• Desperate
• Greed
• Big banks are to blame

Chapter 8

• Penance and redemption
• Prison: reform or punishment
• Ma as the foundation of the family
• Strength in unity and numbers
• Revolution
• Connection to the land

Chapter 9

• Memory
• Division leads to weakness
• Class tension
• Moving (moving on from the old life)
• Capitalism hurts the poor

Chapter 10

• Movement
• One day at a time
• Gender roles
• Guilt, shame, sin
• Beaten down; “tired”
• Connection to the land
• Home and where/what it is
• Power of the family
• Power of Ma

Chapter 11

• Connection to the land
• Power of nature

Chapter 12

• Movement
• Flight
• Refugees
• Anxiety and fear
• Struggle

Chapter 13

• Death
• Connection to the land
• Movement
• Loss
• Compassion and empathy
• Despair and hopelessness
• Dignity
• Broken
• Community

Chapter 14

• Results, not causes
• Fear
• From I to We

Chapter 15

• Distrust
• Compassion
• Humility
• Class conflict
• Monied class is bad/corrupt

Chapter 16

• Family unity
• Strength in numbers
• Movement, fleeing, exodus, change
• Don’t feel sorry, act!
• Salesmen are bad
• Tension
• Prison: reform or punishment?
• Fear of the future
• Disabled people treated poorly

Chapter 17

• Movement
• Community and family
• From I to We
• Music and expression, healing
• Creating worlds, society, community

Chapter 18

• Stolen land
• Faceless big business
• Abuse of power
• Fear leads to discrimination. Meanness.
• Hope vs. despair
• Cycle of life
• One step at a time
• Death and family separation
• Compassion

Chapter 19

• Oppression unites the oppressed
• Revolution is coming
• Rampant capitalism
• You can’t treat white people like this!

Chapter 20

• Exploitation of workers
• Police power
• Abuse of power
• Decency and dignity systematically destroyed
• Action vs. prayer
• Each man slowly breaking: Connie, John, Tom
• Power vs. powerless
• Law vs. unlawful
• Guilt and sin

Chapter 21

• Agribusiness and associations are destructive
• Banks are destructive
• Exploitation
• Anger brewing

Chapter 22

• Pride vs. shame
• Hope
• Dignity
• Growers Association and exploitation
• Big banks and their destructive ways
• Religion
• Sting of charity
• Ma’s value
• Hard work leads to dignity
• Poor people treat each other like humans
• Fear that migrants will get used to being given privileges
• Compassion

Chapter 23

• Amusement is part of life.
• Music and stories unite people

Chapter 24

• Corrupt law enforcement
• Abuse of power
• Organized people lead to peace
• People divided are held down
• Dignity
• Government camp life (Weedpatch) vs. company camp life (Hooper Ranch)

Chapter 25

• Failed system
• Profit before people

Chapter 26

• Ma as the leader
• Strikes
• Abuse of power
• From I to We
• The family is falling apart
• No pride, no dignity
• Dehumanizing
• Hope
• Meanness
• Human worth

Chapter 27

• Handbills and excess labor
• Hope
• Abuse of power
• Exploitation of labor

Chapter 28

• From I to We
• Family falls apart
• Poor help the poor
• Growers Associations and banks are the villains.
• “Normal” life
• Survival: one step at a time

Chapter 29

• Hopelessness
• Nature is relentless
• Hopelessness leads to anger which leads to crime
• Pity leads to fear which leads to violence
• Dehumanized
• Hope

Chapter 30

• Nature is relentless
• Never give up
• Ma as the leader
• From I to We
• Sacrifice and survival
• The poor help the poor