Graves and Cemeteries
According to the State Historic Preservation Office of the Oklahoma Historical Society “Cemeteries, or places for burying the dead, reflect and represent the cultural values and practices of the past that help us learn about our history. They include individual and collective burial places dating from prehistoric or historic times. A cemetery may or may not possess above-ground features. Cemeteries are easy to identify when they are located near public rights-of-way, fenced, clearly identified with signage, and well maintained; and grave markers and other structures are clearly visible.
Regardless of location or condition, a cemetery must be respected and treated appropriately. Cemeteries embody diverse religious practices, cultural affiliations, traditions, and personal preferences.” (SHPO)
In other words cemeteries and graves are meant for the dead to be remember, sadly the Joads family are unable to supply their death with an approve place for mourning. Although Grandpa had a funeral, Tom suggests that the family doesn’t leave a grave marker because then the government will find Grandpa Joad, “F we leave a grave, they'll have it open in no time. We got to hide it. Level her off an' we'll strew dry grass. We got to do that"(Steinbeck 47).The only burial that carries some special value of a grave is the death of Rose of Sharon’s stillborn baby. Soon after the birth of the stillborn Mrs. Wainwright request the men to bury the baby in the apple box. Pa commands Uncle John to bury the baby however he performs a different tribute for the lost infant,
“He put his shovel down, and holding the box in front of him, he edged through the brush until he came to the edge of the swift stream. For a time he stood watching it swirl by, leaving its yellow foam among the willow stems. He held the apple box against his chest. And then he leaned over and set the box in the stream and steadied it with his hand. He said fiercely, "Go down an' tell 'em. Go down in the street an' rot an' tell 'em that way. That's the way you can talk. Don' even know if you was a boy or a girl. Ain't gonna find out. Go on down now, an' lay in the street. Maybe they'll know then." He guided the box gently out into the current and let it go. It settled low in the water, edged sideways, whirled around, and turned slowly over. The sack floated away, and the box, caught in the swift water, floated quickly away, out of sight, behind the brush.” (Steinbeck 307)
Based on this event, Uncle John proves that he “wants other people to know the tragedy of the baby's death. Though he did not prevent the death of his own wife and could not change Rose of Sharon's circumstances, he wants the child to serve as message to others, a manifesto of the unnecessary pain of the ignorant and poverty-stricken. (Lott 66) The Joads lost many family members during their quest to build a better life in California, however, Steinbeck states the Joads family mirrors the same experience of other Okies family’s struggles during this time period.
