Grapes of Wrath-Q. 4

The hero of this book is definitely Tom Joad, not questions asked. Tom was the main character and the only character that would make sense as the hero. He was the only one besides Ma Joad that ever tried to fix any of their problems.

When Tom got out of jail he noticed that the economy had changed a lot. He realized that he and his family wouldn't be able to survive on the farm anymore and must risk everything to start over. They pack up anything they could bring and Tom and Ma lead the group out. Since he couldn't travel with them, because it would be breaking his parole, he goes off the beaten path and travels through the woods for the first leg of the journey. Once they are a safe distance away he was able to reunite with his family.

For Tom, being a hero didn't always mean doing the legal thing. Once the family reached California they worked in a peach field picking them and making enough money to survive. One day near the field Casy, the preacher apart of their group, was attacked and had his head bashed in by an ice pick. Immediately after watching his friend die, Tom stepped in and avenged his friend's death. By doing this it meant he was on the run again this time for committing murder a second time. If he got caught he would very likely go to prison for life.

Tom represents courage and bravery along with some trust. He had the courage to begin his journey taking his family to California, but along the way he was able to stick up for them. When the incident at the peach farm during a protest happened Tom was brave enough and had enough courage to step in and avenge his friends murder. The trust came in in the beginning when he trusted in what the people said about California, but we all know how that plan backfired on him. All in all, I thought Tom made a great hero in this story and had some great attributes.

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2006. Print.