The Transformation of Tom Joad in John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath

Through the roughest times in life, we come across crises that reveal the true character in those around us. Those who are strong are divided from the weak and the followers divide from the leaders. In the novel, The Grapes of Wrath, author John Steinbeck presents the character Ma Joad who serves an important role as the rock that keeps the family together. The Joad family, apart from many families in Oklahoma, is forced to leave their homes in search of work and better opportunities; California not only leaves them in poverty but despair. But through it all Ma Joad is the leader of the family that exhibits selflessness in order to protect and secure her family.

At the onset of the book, Young Tom has just been released from prison and is interested in making up for lost time and enjoying himself. He is a strong family support during the journey but is among the first to begin reaching out to a larger family. At the end he has focused on the plight and abuse of all the homeless farmers and recognizes that they must

Tom goes into hiding after killing George and also for his broken nose, knowing that deputies will look for him. He tells his family not to worry about him and tells Ma that he plans to unify everyone together and have them all rebel at the injustice. In Grapes of Wrath, Tom says “ I’ll be ever’where- wherever you look. Wherever they’s a fight so hungry people can eat, I’ll be there. Wherever they’s a cop beatin’ up a guy, I’ll be there” (Steinbeck 537). He tells Ma that even if he gets hurt or killed, his soul is part of a big community of souls and he’ll be wherever there is injustice to the migrant workers, fighting for their

Tom never does anything without doing it to the fullest, good or bad. Tom has an overall extremely short temper, assertive,confident and aggressive nature. Tom’s wild, emotional, and uncaring attitude end up getting three people killed. Tom in the end is ultimately concerned with himself and his lavished ,intense, and high paced

Likewise, Tom Joad is another character from The Grapes of Wrath, by Steinbeck, who shows his dignity throughout the book through his actions, but also his past life. In Tom’s past life, he was arrested, having killed a man. However, Tom was stabbed, and was merely performing an act of self defense. He really had nothing against the man who attacked him, and thought of him to be a “nice fella” (Grapes 73). Many of the people Tom meets that find out that he has committed murder, assume that he isn’t an innocent man, and isn’t worth respecting. However, it is known by the reader that he had a legitimate purpose, and he doesn’t try to stress this fact. Due to this, his dignity shows, because he is allowing people to think what they want, even though he knows that he was only doing the last resort of things. Also, at the end of the book, Tom decides to live up to Jim Casy, a preacher who travelled with the Joad’s until his arrest and eventually his death, and spread the ideas that Casy was spreading throughout the entire book. “‘Tom,’ Ma repeated, ‘what you gonna do?’ ‘What Casy done,’ he said… ‘He wasn’ doing nothin’

As the novel progresses, Tom transforms from this selfish nature to become a caring person. Several examples of this transformation are seen throughout various chapters. When the Joads are traveling west to California with the Wilson’s, Tom offers to help them when their car breaks down. “Tom said nervously, ‘Look Al. I done my time, an’ now it’s done… Let’s jus’ try an’ get a con-rod an’ the hell with the res’ of it.’” Tom is showing a little more care for other people’s problems, however, he still has a selfish side because he still does not regret killing a man. He knew he had to pay for it by going to prison, but he still believes he did nothing wrong by taking a man’s life. By offering to help out with the Wilson’s’ car, he is on his way to becoming a less selfish person. As the book draws to a close, Tom stumbles upon Jim Casy again, who is murdered in front of his own eyes. As a result, he is thrown into a silent rage and kills another man which causes him to hide in the forest. He realizes that he is a danger to his family, so he sacrifices his safety in order for his family to be safe. ‘“Ya can’t do that, Ma. I tell you I’m jus’ a danger to ya,”’ (391). There is a clear transition from Tom acting selfish at the beginning of the book to him acting completely selfless at the end. This selflessness also contributed to him being a figure committed to bettering the

“Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe” (Douglass). In Steinbeck’s Dust Bowl Age novel, The Grapes Of Wrath, protagonist Tom Joad, and his family are forced from their farm due to the Oklahoma Dust Bowl, believing to set out to refuge for California, along with many struggling migrant workers. Including the family, thousands of migrant workers are in search of jobs, land, and the hope for having a brighter future. Steinbeck also includes the aspect of characters who come along such as Jim Casy, whose characteristics rely on human unity and love as

As the novel begins, Tom has a completely independent outlook on life; concerned only with returning home from prison to indulge his own comforts and wants. It is only later after he has endured the hardships of the journey, in Jim Casy’s death, and his own exile, that he has time to think and realizes that it is united we stand, and divided we fall. He thus sacrifices his personal concerns and safety and leaves the family to go out into the larger community and help his people. He will go out and work to complete what Jim Casy had started. Whereas Jim Casy was too much of an idealist, Tom will try and put his plan into action: “Wherever they’s a fight so hungry people can eat, I’ll be there. Wherever they’s a cop beatin’ up a guy, I’ll be there.” (537)

Later, he begins to unite workers, and eventually dies trying to combat injustice through this worker unity. After this, Tom takes over Casey’s crusade. As Tom begins to truly comprehend Casey’s words and struggle, he explains what he must try to do in his final talk with his mother.

From the beginning of John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, Tom Joad and his family had to endure the uncertainty of change. After they lose everything to the widening Depression, their home, their money, and almost all their possessions, they must make the 1,500 mile journey to the “land of opportunity” in California. In The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck changed the way I thought about transience and how people react to change.

Tom says he is going to do what Rev. Casy did and becomes a social activist. That means he is going to try and make a difference

In Steinbeck's novel, The Grapes of Wrath, he describes the struggle of the small farmer and farmworker. The principal characters define quiet dignity and courage in their struggle to survive and in the caring for their loved ones. Through this novel, Steinbeck displays his respect for all the poor and oppressed of our world.

Tom Joad and his family always kept a sense of subtle hope throughout their journey from Oklahoma to California. Hope is what kept them from falling apart. Although Casy struggled with his inner faith, overall, the family did have faith that a new life in California would work out in the long run and would eventually be best for their family. They hoped that this new life would provide their family with more opportunities, and most importantly a job. When they arrived, they discovered that "all of California quickens with produce, and the fruit grows heavy”(Steinbeck). This was the beginning of a new start for the Joad family, but also the beginning of a new struggle. Throughout the novel the Joad family is challenged to survive both physically and spiritually. Their power and resilience is challenged at every turn in their unfolding journey. Casy begins to question his own beliefs along with the teachings of God preached in the Bible. Over the course of the novel, Casy drifts away from the teachings of the Bible and stops believing in the concept of right and wrong. "Well, maybe like Casy says, a fella ain 't

Tom stays hopeful for his family and he says that if this does occur, the farmers can “get together” and refuse to work. He believes that through unity, the workers can achieve power over the farm owners. Tom suspects that the workers can raise their wages if they refuse to do their job and let the food “rot.” Tom is displaying his leadership skills by creating an idea in which people join together for an important cause. He later puts this idea into action by becoming a voice and guide for the people and helping them create a better future. By joining together and protesting the works he says that it “wouln’ be long ‘fore the prices went up” and the workers would receive improved wages. Tom parallels Moses because he is promising that by sacrificing their current situation, they have a chance to live the life they dreamed that they would. Tom had made

After meeting Jim Casy and traveling to California with his family, Tom starts to change his idea of see others and the world. Well walking to his father’s house, Tom encounters Jim Casy a former preacher he knew. Tom takes a break and they catch up with what is going on with their lives. This is one of the first examples of how Tom is starting to be more social after being in prison for four years. During their talk Casy gives Tom the idea that,”Maybe all men got one big soul ever'body's a part of.”(Steinbeck 33) Casy tries to explain to Tom that he believes that everyone in the world are just one big family. This simple idea later makes Tom leave his family so he can go help others in need. Without meeting Casy Tom wouldn’t of become the man we see at the end of the novel. Another example of Tom changing as a character is in chapter 16 where he meets a one eyed mechanic. Tom feels bad for the guy and decides to