Tom and Ma Joad - The Grapes of Wrath

When you read The Grapes of Wrath, there are two characters that the readers quickly follow.  Those two are Tom and Ma Joad.  Tom is liked by the readers because he is the protagonist and really the main character in the book.  When the book starts of Tom has just gotten out of prison for killing a man, and you are scared of what he may do.  At the beginning, he starts off a little shady.  I thought that he was a bad guy who got out of prison and was looking for another reason back in.  "Homicide, that's a big word-means I killed a guy.  Seven years.  I'm sprung in four for keepin' my nose clean." (Steinbeck, 13).  Here he sounds like he is going to kill the man, but as the story goes along he becomes a vital part for the survival of the Joad family.  He is very good with his hands, and fixes the car multiple times to keep the Joads on their way.  He finds work along the way, but at the end of the book Tom has to go into hiding, to keep himself alive.
You could make a case that Tom was the most important character in this book, but you could make a strong case for Ma Joad as well.  Ma Joad is the building block for the Joad family during their trip.  She is the one who keeps the family together during their times of struggle.  She is like what moms are supposed to be.  Moms are supposed to be loving and show support to their families.  Along with this, Ma Joad keeps the family together, but I am not sure if this is what moms do.  I guess you could say that they are supposed to be keeping families peaceful, so Ma Joad was a very good mother.  Having two characters like this, is like having two superstars in whatever sport.  These two do a great job of getting the Joad family to California.

Bibliography

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2002. Print.