The Grapes of Wrath Quotes
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Source: The Grapes of Wrath
Speaker: Tom Joad
"Wherever there's a fight, so hungry people can eat, I'll be there."
I'll be all around in the dark. I'll be everywhere. Wherever you can look—wherever there's a fight so hungry people can eat, I'll be there. Wherever there's a cop beatin' up a guy, I'll be there. I'll be in the way guys yell when they're mad. I'll be in the way kids laugh when they're hungry and they know supper's ready, and when the people are eatin' the stuff they raise and livin' in the houses they build, I'll be there, too.
Context
This line is spoken by Tom Joad (played by Henry Fonda) in the film The Grapes of Wrath, directed by John Ford (1940).
The Dust Bowl was the biggest event in the United States in the 1930s. It wasn't even a sporting event, either, which seems to be the only thing that catches America's attention these days. The Dust Bowl was a time of severe storms that crippled U.S. agriculture, causing a chain reaction that led to migration, starvation, and poverty. Everyone felt deflated, not just the balls.
The Dust Bowl is the backdrop for The Grapes of Wrath, based on Steinbeck's novel of the same name. In Wrath, Tom Joad, one of the migrating farmers, has every right to feel a little wrathful. But instead, he's feeling compassionate. He wants to make sure an event like this never happens again, and he delivers this little monologue to his Ma. It's so dramatic and compelling that it makes Joad a hero—not just for the Dust Bowl, but for all time.
So dust yourself off and click here for a clip.
Where you've heard it
You hear this as a call to action by someone who wants to help people climb out of poverty and starvation. We'd choose this guy over Batman any day.
Additional Notable References:
Music
- Bruce Springsteen, "Ghost of Tom Joad"
- Rage Against the Machine, "Ghost of Tom Joad"
Pretentious Factor
If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.
As long as you're opening a soup kitchen or something and not just saying this, this quote isn't pretentious. It shows determination and generosity.