Analysis of a scene (1);

The Joad family scene

In this scene Tom has just come home from prison and is on parole. Tom brings former preacher Casy, whom he met on the road. Tom finds his’ family at Uncle John’s house and their old house empty! This is the only scene in which the whole family are together. This scene allowed my character ‘Ma’ to interact with other characters. I was able to show the audience how Ma takes the role of preparing the food and looking after all the members of the family.

The scene is set around a table at dinner time. To show how little room there is I made my character stand while dinner was being eaten. I also thought this would suggest how Ma’s priorities are the family rather then herself. I like this scene because there is so much going on, however everything is quite laid back and light hearted. It lets the audience see the whole family and their different relationships. On first doing this scene in rehearsals I had my character sitting down and occasionally going off to get more pans, but after a few rehearsals I decided that 'Ma' would have probably been more worried about everybody else eating rather than herself! In the dress rehearsal I decided to add in a bit were I go to my son 'Winfield', I take off his hat and have a little moan at him for wearing it at the dinner table then I wipe his’ face to suggest a caring mother. It also could show, as Winfield is the youngest, how Ma still sees him as the baby of the family.

I also liked this scene because I was able to concentrate on my character without so much dialogue. If I were to develop my character further I would concentrate fully on her posture/ the way she would have walked, for example she might have had a bad back due to the lack of rest she has.

Music used in our production of “The Grapes of Wrath”...

Opening scene; “As I go down in the river to pray...”  This song is a country song and is a good song to open the play as it sets the scene of a Southern American play. The music is quite slow and therefore shows how life and people in Southern American were quite slow and laid back. The movement that we did to this piece of music reflected the slow melody. We were in the fields and looking after the crops. In the background we had a picture of men with hay on there backs, then as the music ended the scene changed as did the picture, to the image you see in this picture of newspapers. The headlines saying about the Dust bowl!

The next piece of music was “I feel like travailing on”. My character, Ma sung this as the whole family got in the truck ready to go to California. The lyrics “my heavenly home is bright and fair” shows how Ma is hopeful of the road to come.

Opening scene

"I feel like travailing on"

Ma and pa’s children and her relationship with them Noah- Noah has a disability and so, even though he is the oldest child, he is treated younger. Ma doesn't have a very close relationship. She worries that he can’t look after himself and when he goes off she says to tom “But how’ll he eat?” Tom- It could be said that Tom is her ‘favourite’ child, she mentions how tom is a favourite of Grandpa Joad’s “Tom’s a favourite of his’”. Ma and Tom have a lot of talks, they have a dance and share a lot of feelings; tom says “Ma you were never like this ‘fore” and Ma says “I never had my house pushed over, I never had my fambly stuck out on the road, and I never had to sell- everything!” . Also she gives a lot of advice to him “Don’t go fighting them alone” and “you’ve gotta go away” when Tom gets into a fight !

Al- He is at the age where he is just becoming a man, and when he says he isn’t going on and going to stay with a girl, ma is proud. She doesn’t give Al much praise for all the work he does, like with the truck and also finding a girl maybe because she is too busy trying to look after Tom and everybody else. Even at the end ma says goodbye to al and then says “If you see Tom...”

Rose of Sharon- Ma says “I haven’t had a lot of time to take you in hand but I will”, Ma wants Rosashaun to grow up a lovely young women, she tries to make her stronger by telling her to ‘stop crying’ and “you gotta get a hold of yourself”. Often makes her peel potatoes and help “get the plates on the table” Ma doesn't have any sympathy that she is pregnant and she is being cruel to be kind!
Ma persuading Roshashaurn to carry on to California 
Winfield- he is the youngest and so Ma is still sympathetic and bossy towards him... Ma asks Winfield to help with the plates, and tells him to “git” when Rosashaun goes into labour. But she also lets him rest on her in the truck, and tells him ‘softly’ how there is no baby (when Rosashaun loses it !)

Other characters and their relationships with Ma Pa Joad- Husband, after the farm and house was taken, Pa took a knock, Pa looks to Ma before he makes any decisions; like when he asks her if we can “feed an extra mouth”. He lets Ma take the dominant role, and Ma is seen to look after Grandma and Grandpa, even though they are Pa’s parents!

Uncle john- Pa’s brother, she also gives him advice; she tells him not to burden other people with his’ sins and to go down to the river and whisper them into the stream!

Grandpa- Pa’s dad, she cares for him, loves him as if he was he own father, even though he is Pa’s.
 Grandpa's funeral

Grandma- Pa’s mum, ma also takes care of her, ma cradles her in the back of the truck when she dies and is upset when she dies but says “she got to lay her head down in calafornia” Ma with Roshashaurn looking after Grandma in  Act 1

Reverend (John) Casy- Ma has respect for him as he used to be involved in the church. She might want him to be part of the family because she believes he is leading Tom in the right way. She says to Al about Casy; “you’ll be glad of that preacher before we’re through, that preacher’ll help us”

Connie- Rosashan’s husband, Ma and him don’t talk. Maybe this is because Ma respects Pa and Pa doesn't like Casy. Ma probably knew from the start what connie would do (he would leave Rosashaurn)

Character profile

Character Profile; Ma Joad Age; she looks older then she is, as many women would have in her situation Dominant woman- “I never had my house pushed over, I never had my fambly stuck out on the road and I never had to sell-everything!” Labour of a stereotypical women- She takes the roles of the cook, cleaner, mother and wife, and comes across as the leader of the house/family because she is wise, gives advice and orders. She is a strong woman. Ma doesn't mention her parents or any siblings she might have (had) throughout the play, this could suggest why Ma is such a strong character because she might have had to fend for herself nearly all her life. She is religious (?) but mentions how she “ain’t got no faith” Her main goal is to keep the family together, and throughout the play we see Ma failing to do so. Although we see exactly how strong she is at the end of the play when she fights through the rain to get to higher ground because of the flood !!
 This picture was taken at the end of scene one when Ma comes out of the truck and tells everyone that Grandma is dead.

Background of Grapes of Wrath

Background of the play- The Grapes Of Wrath is set in southern America, 1930s. It is the story of a family who have been affected by the dust bowl and find that they have to travel, because they have nothing left after the bank took back their home. Like many families, they start their travels to California where it is said that there are many jobs and houses available. Most of the family are excited about this 'new beginning', however occasionally Ma Joad suggests how she’s not sure. Ma is the character that keeps the family together on their travels and through many obstacles, such as Grampa’s, and then Granma's, death! What is the dust bowl ? The dust bowl happened because the trees and hedges were cut down in order to make more space for growing crops, however when the wind blew it blew the dirt and created a dust bowl. And no crops, meant families weren't able to sell them for money, and so they weren’t able to pay the banks for the houses, and finally the banks foreclosed their farms and took everything !

Video of Ma's monologue

This is my written in role speech/monologue- Ma Joad
http://revolutionartsatthehoward.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/mas-monologue-writing-in-role.html