BG+Journal+2

Is Tom Joad a Tragic Hero? In Arthur Miller’s //Tragedy and the Common Man//, Miller describes a tragic hero as a typical man battling his own personal struggles and the opposing forces of society. Based on his explanation, it is appropriate to concur that Tom Joad is the tragic Hero in __Grapes of Wrath.__ Early in the book Tom reveals a tragic experience involving himself and another man. While conversing with a stranger during a long car ride Tom explains, “I killed a guy in a fight. We was drunk at a dance. He got a knife in me, an’ I killed him with a shovel that was layin’ there” (25). In this case, the “common man” was engaged in a traumatic experience that may have scarred him emotionally and distanced himself from his friends and family. As the story goes on, we witness the reality of the dustbowl and its impact on the tenant farmers. Tom meets up with an old family friend by the name of Muley, who tells him, “Dust comin’ up an’ spoilin’ ever’thing so a man didn’t get enough crop to plug up an ant’s ass” (47). Like the ordinary Oklahoma man of the 1930’s, Tom’s livelihood was farming and when that’s taken, Tom has no source of income. Finally, Tom loses a mentor and most of all his best friend on the journey. Jim Casy was leading workers in a revolt against the work camp as the narrator describes a scene between George and Casy: “The heavy club crashed into the side of his head with a dull crunch of bone, and Casy fell sideways out of the light” (386). Casy death is a huge upset for Tom and the Joad family and it really gives emphasis the tom as a tragic character. Overall, Tom Joad reflects the characteristics Arthur Miller describes in his essay regarding “Tragedy and the Common Man.

Comment: Your work continues to impress Ben. Let's focus on making claims a little more arguable and fully developing the argument (I think the last claim sandwich kind of falls apart). Finally, work at avoiding sentences like this one: "Casy death is a huge upset for Tom and the Joad family and it really gives emphasis the tom as a tragic character." The errors in here distract and hinder the effectiveness of the journal as a whole. Still--you're doing good stuff here. Keep it up. Check.