Chapters 11-15 in the novel The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck showcase more serious and tangible conflicts in comparison to the ones in the earlier chapters.
In these chapters, there are two notable character deaths, the Grandpa and the dog both passing away. However, in the earlier chapters there was only the FEAR of something horrible happening rather than it becoming reality. In chapter 6, the Joads were speculative and perhaps a little hopeful that their journey west would go well, not yet knowing the obstacles that would impede their path.The conflicts in the later chapters are more dangerous physically: through starvation and possible death ,while the before it was just emotional damage: the loss of their house and leaving everything they made a living with and grew up with. In addition, chapter 13 is when reality sets in and the dangers of the road present themselves to the Joads.
The Grandfather starts to have pain and struggles with the easy task of buttoning up his pants. Because of this the family starts to worry and feeds him pain killers and various other medications. He then later dies of a stroke which could be a cause of a drug overdose. This is just an example of one of the physical conflicts they encounter.
In chapter 6, when Tom Joad reunites with his family accompanied by Jim Casy, they tell him that the family is moving west because they lost all their money and cannot make a profit out of the land. They have no resources or financial income that will help them through the Depression that is settling over the United States. This presents a more emotional conflict than the physical one previously considered.
The conflicts evolve into something they can see rather than feel which makes it all the more dangerous; turning it into a reality which they cannot control.
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