The Grapes of Wrath Characters: Complete Analysis

The Grapes of Wrath features complex characters representing different aspects of society, each embodying themes of the novel.

Tom Joad just got paroled from prison and finds his family about to lose their Oklahoma farm. Ma Joad is the family's emotional rock who holds everyone together through impossible hardship. Pa Joad struggles with losing his role as provider. Jim Casy, a former preacher, travels with them and becomes a labor organizer. Rose of Sharon, Tom's pregnant sister, faces tragedy but provides one of literature's most memorable endings.