The relationship that a mother and daughter have is something that should be treasured. This is true in both real like and literature. In the Grapes of Wrath, there is a relationship between a mother, Ma Joad, and her daughter Rose of Sharon. A proper definition of a mother is someone that gives rise to or exercises protecting care over something/someone else. Other words that could be used to describe a mother would be, for example: tend, nurse, mind, raise. Ma Joad could be describes using those words, plus a few more.
She becomes the strength and heart of the family; this is why she had a good relationship with her children. Rose of Sharon is the eldest of the Joad children. On the journey to California, she was abandoned by her husband and was left pregnant with a child – who was still born. She went from being a very happy girl to being a very quiet and mysterious girl. Towards the end of the book, she transforms from being that shy and mysterious person to being a saintly person to a stranger in the barn, something her mother, Ma Joad, would do.
These two characters have a mother-daughter relationship because of the compassion that Ma gives to Rose. Ma prepares Rose to have a child, and also pierces her ears because it is bad luck to not have earring before having a child. They have similarities as well, such as: they are both women of compassion and they were striving for the mutual goal of survival. The theme of saving power of family and fellowship fits the relationship between Ma and Rose because they both are striving to save the family from the hardships that they found themselves to be in.
Ma Joad has put herself in the position to be the glue that is keeping the family together; Rose is still getting over her stillborn child, but is becoming just like her mother. Through everything that the family has to deal with, Rose and Ma have been able to keep everyone in check. “Mother. ” Dictionary. com | Find the Meanings and Definitions of Words at Dictionary. com. Web. 13 Oct. 2010. <http://dictionary. reference. com/>.
