In, The Grapes of Wrath, Ma Joad and Rose of Sharon graphically portray Steinbeck's themes of strength and sacrifice. They are universal characters, the people who hold up the fabric of society. Through them we view the need for unity and desperation of all those who went west only to find life as bleak as when they left it. Throughout the story Ma is a model of the strength of the human spirit. For example, …showed first 75 words of 587 total…

…showed last 75 words of 587 total…depicts the ruined aspirations of the Okies and truly becomes a woman. Steinbeck uses his characters to convey many of his themes. With Ma's strength and Rose of Sharon's sacrifices he shows that the most common people are the most important. Those who run the great corporate machine and make themselves rich by standing on the backs of others are nothing without those they exploit and are in fact less than those they consider subordinate.