Chapter twenty carries on the theme of depression, sadness, and darkness. John Steinbeck portrays this sadness and depression through children. As the Joad's family enters the camp they find families and their many children living in make shift homes and tents. The Joad's stop there and set up camp, and they learn many new things about California and the camps, such as the camps are named Hoovervilles, the cops look for trouble and burn the camps, and they have to keep moving because there is not much work and they do not want to starve. The Joad's settle down and start making dinner, and many starving children come in on their camp wanting the hot stew.
Steinbeck adds to the sadness by his sad descriptions of the children. "The children, fifteen of them, stood silently and watched. And when the smell of the cooking stew came to their noses, their noses crinkled slightly. The sunlight glistened on hair tawny with dust. The children were embarrassed to be there, but they did not go." Ma is left standing wondering what to do, saddened by the predicament with the children. Finally, she feeds her family and lets the starving children clean out the kettle. "... and outside they could hear the children digging into the pot with their sticks and their spoons and their pieces of rusty tin. A mound of children smothered the pot from sight. They did not talk, did not fight or argue; but there was a quiet intentness in all of them, a wooden fierceness. There was the sound of scraping at the kettle, and then the mound of children broke and the children walked away and left the scraped kettle on the ground."
John Steinbeck adds this scene in, not only for a historical view on the book, but also as an extra scene of sadness and depression. This creates a gloomy outlook on the chapter and the book. Because, not only are the adults affected by the situation, but the poor children are too.
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