Character Analysis Of Tom Joad In The Grapes Of Wrath

In the book, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, many characters develop and change in various ways. Steinbeck portrays Tom Joad as a killer in the beginning of the book. After many deaths and challenges Tom changes from being a selfish man who only thinks about himself and his own family, to someone that stands up for others, and helps other families that are in need of help. The first thing to happen in this novel is Tom Joad asks a trucker for a ride. As the two travel down the road, they talk about Tom’s past. He has spent the past four years in McAlaster, a prison. His sentence was for seven years, but he got out early on parole for good behavior. He had killed a man. After the trucker drops Tom off, he comes along his old preacher, Jim Casy. Tom tells Jim the story of where he has been for the past four years. “”I’d do what I done- again,” said Joad. “I killed a guy in a fight. We was drunk at a

At the time of their arrival, the family was getting ready to travel out to California for work. The next few chapters talk about their journey out west. Along their journey, they come across a family, the Wilsons, who were forced to move by the same landowner. The Wilson’s car broke down and they need help fixing it. Tom offers to fix their car. Despite Ma Joad’s wishes of wanting to keep traveling as a family, Tom suggests that he stays behind with Jim to fix the car, and that the rest of the family should continue to California. Tom and Ma make a compromise. They find a place for the family to stay for the night so Tom and Jim can work on the car. This is the first time that it is clear that Tom is changing. He isn’t being selfish, he is thinking of a family besides his own. It is because they are in the same situation that his family is in that he can sympathize with them, and feel the need to help them