Tom Joad

Leathery skin: Although he’s still young, Tom already has the skin of an experienced old man. He wears his skin like a mask that tells the story of his life. Because he seen a lot of things that most people haven’t, like jail and death, he has developed a hardened look over time.

Strong mentally/physically: Tom emits a strong vibe to everyone he meets. People think of him as being a personal capable of damage physically, but capable of much mentally as well. Although some fear him, most respect him for this trait. In the book, he seems to be the character of reason and the one that has to take charge often.

Independent: Tom carries himself in a manner that makes him seem very independent. Because of jail, he spent many years alone, so he’s developed this independent attitude that people catch on to when they meet him, and he has an aura of independence that people catch on to.

Simple: Because of his financial situation, as well as his style of living, Tom lives life very simply. He dresses simply, his advice to people is simple, and his way of thinking is simple. Throughout the book, you learn that the most important aspect of life to him is his family, and that he can survive without material possessions or other things of that sort.

QOUTES

“Like to know anything else? I'll tell you. You ain't got to guess. I'll tell you anything. Name's Joad, Tom Joad. Old man is ol' Tom Joad.”

This is one of the first quotes said by Tom that really stands out to me. It stands out to me because it shows that he is a down to earth person, and that he is also very open and relateable. This qualities get him far in the book because people look to him for guidance and see him as a role model.

"It don't take no nerve to do somepin when there ain't nothin' else you can do."

This quote shows Tom’s logic on life. He is basically saying that when you have nothing to lose, it isn’t hard to go out and try to make a difference. Throughout the book h displays this way of thinking, and this motivated attitude that helps him guide his family to California.



"sure—I seen it. But sometimes a guy'll be a good guy even if some rich bastard makes him carry a sticker"

This quote shows Tom’s way of relating to people, and how he presented himself. This quote is from a part in which he tries to get a truck driver to give him a ride. After being denied, Tom says the above quote, which changes the drivers mind, and Tom’s way of dealing with things earns him a ride.

"Don't judge a book by its cover."

Although this quote is very general and widely used, I think that Tom truly embodies this. He has seen so many things during his short life, that he knows that anyone is capable of anything, which is why he uses this quote. I think this quote also shows Tom’s way of thinking, as well as his relateable personality.

QOUTES BY OTHERS

"I'm a-gonna tell you somepin about bein' in the pen. You can't go thinkin' when you're gonna be out. You'd go nuts. You got to think about that day, an' then the nex' day, about the ball game Sat'dy. That's what you got to do. Ol'timers does that. A new young fella gets buttin' his head on the cell door. He's thinkin' how long it's gonna be. Whyn't you do that? Jus' take ever'day."

This quote shows that others marvel at Tom’s patience that he gained while in prison, and in this particular quote, Ma takes note of it. She believed that the family needed to take on Tom’s mindset in order to complete the journey.

"Well, I'm a-scairt about it. Sometimes you do a crime, an' you don't even know it's bad. Maybe they got crimes in California we don't even know about. Maybe you gonna do somepin an' it's all right, an' in California it ain't all right."

This quote shows that although he has good intentions of starting a new life, Ma is still scared that Tom may mess up their new life in California, and this shows that Tom obviously is a hardened person that commit crimes very often.

"Tommy, don't you go fightin' 'em alone. They'll hunt you down like a coyote. Tommy, I got to thinkin' and dreamin' and wonderin'. They say there's a hun'erd thousand of us shoved out. If we was all mad the same way, Tommy-they wouldn't hunt nobody down."

This quote shows you that Tom is a very strong-willed and independent person because his mother fears that he will go into a war with the government and land owners by himself, just to help stop the depression and get his family in a better position



IMPORTANT EVENT

An important event in Tom’s life is when he decides to trip the policeman. I think this is an important event because it displays Tom’s selflessness perfectly in that way that he saves Floyd by tripping the cop, even though he has already broken the law by leaving the state of Oklahoma while on parole.






Jim Casey

Tall and Pale: Jim Casey is a pale and vein-covered character, and I think that at first, this description makes him almost creepy because of his sexual past, but as you read on, he seems much more down to earth and this description seems to almost make him friendlier.

Southern: Jim talks with a very heavy accent and is hard to understand. Throughout the book, he seems very rural and from the way he talks and carries himself, you know he’s from the South.

Modest: He wears simple clothes like button up shirts and cheap shoes, and easily blends into a crowd of migrants. By being so modest, it makes him seem much more human.

Harmless: During the course of the book, Jim Casy presents himself as a harmless person who only wishes to help. This gets him far during the book, and makes his death much more surprising and sad.

QOUTES

“I use to think it was jus' me. Finally it give me such pain I quit an' went off by myself an' give her a damn good thinkin' about. I says to myself, 'What's gnawin' you? it is the screwin'?' An I says back, 'No, it's the sin.' An' I says, 'Why is it that when a fella ought to be just about mule-ass proof against sin, an' all full up of Jesus, why is it that's the time a fella gets fingerin' at his paints buttons?"

This quote shows that Jim is aware of his flaws, and that he doesn’t try to hide or cover up his mistakes and wrongdoings.
This quality adds to his honest and down to earth persona, and makes him seem like a relateable person.



"I ain't preachin' no more much. The sperit ain't in the people much no more; and worse'n that, the sperit ain't in me no more. 'Course now an' again the sperit gets movin' an' I rip out a meetin', or when folks sets out food, I give 'em a grace, but my heart ain't in it. I on'y do it 'cause they expect it."

This quote reveals Jim Casey’s true feelings about religion, and depicts how much he cares about religion. Throughout the book, he is directly tied in with religion, and these quotes make you realize that he truly is a man of god. These quotes also show that unlike some preachers, he truly cares about his job and the message he sends to people.

"Just Jim Casy now. Ain't got the call no more. Got a lot of sinful idears – but they seem kinda sensible.”

This quote shows his turning point in the story from a typical preacher, to a down-to-earth and honest man of god that lives by his own rules, but still spreads the word of god. Some people may not like this, but I personally liked the fact that he spread the word of religion, but was true to himself and his temptations at the same time and hid nothing.

"They's gonna come somepin outa all these folks goin' ... wes' – outa all their farms lef' lonely. They's gonna come a thing that's gonna change the whole country."

This quote shows Jim Casey’s intelligent side, and also shows that he was aware of the situation early on. He seems to be the only character at the start that thinks the nation will collapse, and by the end, almost everyone is agreeing with him.

QOUTES BY OTHERS

"Casy -- HE was a good man."

This quote shows that all though eh did ungodly things, the people still respected him and thought he was a vital asset to the community. People respected him for his honesty as well as his compassion.

“Maybe all men got one big soul ever'body's a part of."

This quote shows that Casey’s idea of religion wasn’t as crazy as everyone thought. Tom starts to understand Casey’s view of religion, and I think that this increases his respect for the man drastically.

IMPORTANT EVENT

An important event in Jim Casey’s life was when he decided to drop the title of preacher because of his own personal sins. I think this act changed his life drastically because he accepted the fact that he has flaws, and that his job title doesn’t accept flaws, so he dropped it. I think this must have been very hard, but empowering at the same time.



Rose of Sharon

Happy/Optimistic: Rose of Sharon is very upbeat during the book, and continues to stay this way until the depression fully takes it’s toll on her and she almost seems emotionless.

Pregnant: Rose of Sharon is pregnant for most of the book, until the end where she comes close to motherhood and then it is tragically cut short.

Voluptuous: Some could call her the sex symbol of the book because she has very defined features and acts very woman-like. This asset may have been useful to her before the depression, but because of the chaos, nobody cares about looks anymore.

Motherly: Rose of Sharon is very motherly throughout the book towards everyone in her family, but mainly her unborn child. At the end of the book we see this motherly personality again when she breast feeds the man to strengthen him

"Maybe right at first while Connie's studyin'at home it won't be so easy, but – well, when the baby comes, maybe he'll be all done studyin' an' we'll have a place, little bit of a place."

This quote shows how naive Rose of Sharon is. Throughout the book she tries to act as though her life will figure itself out, instead of taking note of her situation and doing something about it.


IMPORTANT EVENT

An important even in the book is when Connie finally leaves her. This is her turning point where she realizes that her bossy attitude and demanding ways were the reason for him leaving. After this, she seems to almost wither away and turns much less happy.