Chapter 10 marks the last time in the novel that the family unit will function as a traditional whole. Once the Joads leave Oklahoma, the family as a smaller unit will deteriorate and be replaced by a larger vision of community.
The Joads have a patriarchal family structure in which positions of leadership and control are determined by masculinity and age. Uncle John must sit in the front of the truck although he is uncomfortable and would rather give up his seat to the pregnant Rose of Sharon. However, "that would be impossible, because she was young and a woman." At the family meeting, Granpa is given the first chance to speak, which is his right as titular head of the family, even if his mind is no longer sharp. Once they leave the farm, a shifting in the family structure will weaken the power of these traditional gender roles. The tearing of the family from its agrarian roots is primarily responsible for this change in the structure of the family. Without the inherent responsibilities dictated by their farm-bound roles (the agricultural productivity of the men and the child-care and domestic duties of the women, for example), the Joads will lose their familial stability. Casy begins this process when he offers to help salt the pork, telling Ma, "It's all work. They's too much of it to split it up to men's or women's work."
