Like Casy, Tom Joad is an honest and trustworthy man. Although he has killed another human being, he did so out of self-defense and in reality has a kind heart. All of that time spent in prison really taught Tom a thing or two about life. He's got his feet on the ground, and, like his mother, he can strategize and problem solve. He is always able to zero in on the heart of the matter. Amid the novel's characters, Tom demonstrates the most growth in his realization of the concept of unison and love as he guides the family on a new path. Ma Joad, the backbone of the Joad family, is strong-minded and unyielding. Her key concern is that the family not be broken apart. Her unfathomable strength that is shown at the beginning of the novel only
