The hero of the story is very easy to identify for The Grapes of Wrath. He seems at first to be quite a nasty character, but then he quickly shows to be a caring and smart person. The hero is of course none other than Tom Joad.
It is safe to say that Tom is not a person that anyone would want to mess with when he’s mad, but he would be a perfect person to take onto a long and dangerous journey across the country with everything you own. He is really good at getting to the heart of the matter quickly, he isn’t one to beat around the bush, like when the truck driver said the sticker said no hitch-hikers allowed and Tom replied “sure—I seen it. But sometimes a guy’ll be a good guy even if some rich bastard makes him carry a sticker” (Steinbeck 7). It also shows that people already have contempt for big business owners (wait until he finds out about what they did to the farms).
Tom is also very complex, sure he killed a man with a shovel, but he shows no remorse for it; he even said he would do it again if he were in the same situation. When the truck driver got a little nosey Tom told him “You got me wrong, mister, I ain’t keepin’ quiet about it. Sure I been in McAlester. Been there four years. Sure these is the clothes they give me when I come out. I don’t give a damn who know it. An’ I’m goin’ to my old man’s place so I don’t have to lie to get a job” (Steinbeck 12). It shows how honest he is and how he does not regret the things that he has had to do.
Tom is also a good advice giver throughout the book. He tells the one-eyed mechanic to get an eye patch, take a bath, and top wallowing in self pity; he tells his brother Al to stop worrying about people blaming him when the car breaks down. He takes control of situations when nobody else steps up, and he usually ends up making very good decisions that help the family greatly.
Steinbeck, John, and Robert J. DeMott. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2006. Print.
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