Junior In 'Grapes Of Wrath': Questions And Answers
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1. Question: What health problems does Junior have, according to the novel? How would you describe Junior’s attitude towards them?
Answer: Junior explains to us that he was born with “water” on the brain, essentially allowing us to infer that he is hydrocephalic. As a result, Junior received a very risky brain surgery at six months old in which he survives, but caused several impairments. His head is bigger than average, he has 42 adult teeth, and he has a lisp and stutters. His brain damage caused problems with his eyesight and his hand and feet and disportionately large compared to his body. Junior’s attitudes towards his health problems throughout the book are very open and blunt. Junior is a very self aware individual and often makes fun of his own disabilities. Junior’s attitude can be described as one of resigned complacence, which allows him to feel that even though he has so many health problems and social problems that accompany them, there is a feeling a hope that he can do something…show more content… Junior describes the school as predominantly “white”. The first person Junior interacts with at the high school is a girl named Penelope, whom Junior describes as beautiful and blonde. Penelope asks Junior what his name is and when he replies Junior and she laughs at him. At lunchtime, on his first day, Junior encounters one of the biggest boys in the school, Roger. Roger approaches Junior with his group of friends and says, “the most racist thing.” Junior eventually ends up punching Roger in the face and that leads Roger and his group of friends to walk away. After the incident with Roger, Junior talks to his grandmother about the encounter with him. Junior’s grandma explains how the boys will respect him now that he picked a fight with the “alpha male” of the school. The following day Junior realizes his grandma was right when Roger is friendly towards