Grapes Of Wrath

Front 1

Tom Joad

Back 1

Protagonist. Ma and Pa's favorite son. Killed a man and been in prison for 4 years. Organizes the workers into a union.

Front 2

Ma Joad

Back 2

Mother of the family. Citadel of the family. Healer, arbiter, fiercely protective of her family.

Front 3

Pa Joad

Back 3

Father of Tom, Rose of Sharon, Noah, Ruthie, Winfield, and Al. Husband of Ma. Directs the effort of the family to Cali. Looks to Ma for strength, somewhat ashamedly. Takes over as man of the family after Grampa's death.

Front 4

Jim Casy

Back 4

Symbolic of Jesus Christ. Former preacher who has "lost the spirit." Believes in the sanctity of people. Goes to prison instead of Tom, martyr. Determined organizer of migrant workers.

Front 5

Rose of Sharon

Back 5

Oldest daughter. Wife to Connie. Pregnant. Impractical, petulant, romantic. Disillusioned with the idea of romantic city life. Husband abandons her. Child born dead. Matures by end of novel, saving a starving man by suckling him to her breast.

Front 6

Grampa Joad

Back 6

Symbolic of the family's life in Oklahoma. Must die for them to move on. Dies right over the state line. Sinful talker, violent verbal temper. Unabashedly inappropriate. Doesn't want to leave.

Front 7

Granma Joad

Back 7

Pious Christian, full of fiery passion. Loves her husband. His death drives her health into the ground. Dies right over the California line.

Front 8

Al Joad

Back 8

Tom's younger brother. Loves and is very knowledgeable about cars. Keeps the car and truck running. Idolizes Tom, but grows into himself by the end. Falls in love with Agnes Wainwright, and stays with her instead of leaving with family.

Front 9

Ivy and Sairy Wilson

Back 9

First family that Joads bond with en route. Meets them right before Grampa's death. He dies in their tent. Forms bond. Al helps them with their car. Travel together until right before Granma dies, when Sairy's health is too much to keep going.

Front 10

Connie

Back 10

Husband to Rose of Sharon. Weak, and weak willed. Unrealistic dreamer. Abandons Joads after reaching California, after small spat with wife. Selfish and immature.

Front 11

Noah Joad

Back 11

Tom's older brother. Pa Joad messed up his deliver a little, so he's slightly deformed. Possibly mentally disabled. Slow and quiet and independent. Leaves the family right over California line by staying near a river. Thinks parents don't love him as much as the others.

Front 12

Uncle John

Back 12

Tom's uncle. Feels guilty for his wife's death, because he wrote off her fatal stomach pains for an ache. Spends whole life trying to make it up. Feels like his whole life is a sin. Feels responsible for all bad luck. Feels useless. Self-deprecating.

Front 13

Ruthie Joad

Back 13

Younger Joad daughter. Fiery relationship with brother Winfield, dependent on each other and competitive. Inadvertently puts Tom's life in danger by bragging about how he killed a man.

Front 14

Winfield Joad

Back 14

Age ten, youngest Joad child. Ma worries for him, fearing he'll wake up without a proper home, reckless and wild. Fiercely dependent and competitive with sister Ruthie.

Front 15

Floyd Knowles

Back 15

Migrant worker. Inspires Tom and Casy to work for labor organization. Outspoken. Causes scuffle with police which gets Casy arrested.

Front 16

Muley Graves

Back 16

Joads old neighbors. Bank evicts family and family heads west. He stays behind stubbornly. "Ol' graveyard ghost." Tells Tom that Joads are at Uncle John's

Front 17

Agnes Wainwright

Back 17

Daughter of couple that shares Joad's boxcar at end of novel. Becomes engaged to Al, who leaves the family to stay with her.

Front 18

Mr. Thomas

Back 18

Owns small farm. Gives Tom, Timothy, and Wilkie work digging a ditch. A good man. Hates how Farmers Association is run and how they treat migrant workers. Needs to abide by their rules, though. Desperately needs a loan to keep working.

Front 19

The Wainwrights

Back 19

Share the boxcar with the Joads near Tulare. Two families get along well and help each other survive in dark times. Al Joad and Agnes Wainwright get engaged. Demonstrates ability of humans to unite even in great hardship.

Front 20

Ezra Huston

Back 20

Elected head of the Central Committee at Weedpatch. Advises Tom and other men how to deal with situation at Saturday dance.

Front 21

Willie Eaton

Back 21

Head of the Weedpatch entertainment committee. Defuses the problem of the intruders and police during the dance.

Front 22

Mae the waitress

Back 22

Waitress at a roadside diner. Appears in inter-chapter 15. Dislikes migrants who come in and can't pay. Calls them "shitheels." Likes truck drivers because they pay and have good conversation. Pretends to be hard and stiff, but sells bread to migrant family at a loss and sells them nickel candy as two for a penny. Kind deep down.

Front 23

Shopkeeper

Back 23

Sells food to migrant workers at inflated prices. Ma asks for 10 extra cents worth of sugar. Will "lend" it.

Front 24

One-eyed man

Back 24

Hates his boss. Moans about how the boss keeps trying to set him up with his daughter and screws customers over. Self-deprecating. Thinks he'll never get anyone. Tom helps him by giving him a verbal whooping, telling him not to feel sorry for himself and seize the day.

Front 25

Truck driver

Back 25

First character in book. Makes small talk with diner waitress. Has no hitchhikers sign on truck, but Tom twists his arm and he lets Tom ride along. Very observing. Scans Tom and memorizes his face, his clothes, etc. Awkward drive. Doesn't drink. Takes night classes.