Tom Joad
It is widely believed that Jim Casy embodies the authors true philosophical belief system, and that Tom Joad is flawed and completely human. As the novel’s primary character, Tom has the most character development, and goes through what is known as an ‘education of the heart.’ This learning, experience, foresight, and the teaching of Jim Casy speak of the moralistic journey man experiences between himself and his community – when he learns to care not only for himself, but also for those around him, and the world he lives in.
Tom is a kind man, however, he has a short temper and is often vengeful. Despite this, he is a man of action and the hero of the book. He embodies pragmatism, and unlike Jim Casy (who largely observes and speaks about the human condition) Tom’s actions are more subconscious and intuitive.
Tom is more concerned with the here and now, not the moral circumstances of his actions.
Ma Joad
Ma, since the first chapter, has proven herself to be the backbone of the family. Her chief objective has always been to care for her family, to make sure that they are fed, comfortable and safe. She believes that her family will experience any fear or pain that she experiences, so she does everything in her power to stifle these emotions in herself.
She feels that it is her duty to build up her family, and to help them to find joy in dark moments. Her strength is what truly binds the family together and, despite the fact that her family is her main concern, she never shies away from the opportunity to help a stranger.
Jim Casy
Jim is a traveling former preacher who struggles to come to terms with his personal beliefs as they relate to God, sin and a holy life. In the beginning of the book, Casy starts to adopt Emerson’s theory of the “Oversoul’”– the belief that all individual souls are just a small part of one giant soul. He states, “There ain’t no sin, and there ain’t no virtue. There’s just stuff that people do. It’s all part of the same thing.’ Jim shares his beliefs with Tom, who will impatient, is willing to listen. The teaching of Jim Casy widely reflect various theories of pragmatism, socialism, humanism and transcendentalism.
Jim Casy is regarded as the novel’s moral spokesman and touted as being ‘Christ-like’. In fact, his initials J.C., are identical to the initials of Jesus Christ, and similar to Christ, Jim Casy sacrifices himself in place of others when he turns himself in to the policeman in order to save Tom. Through this sacrifice, Jim lands in jail where he first learns about organization and later, after his release, organizes a strike to protest unfair treatment at a peach orchard.
Rose of Sharon
Rose of Sharon is easily one of the least likeable characters in the Grapes of Wrath. She is self-centered and expects to be catered to. She and her new husband spend the duration of the family’s trek to California daydreaming about what their life will be like. She is pregnant and constantly concerned that every event is somehow related to the child in her womb.
Despite an attempt by her mother to intervene, Rose of Sharon begins to wallow in self-pity and life grows harder for the Joad family. When Rose of Sharon’s child is stillborn, she experiences a tremendous change of character. She offers the breastmilk that will never be fed to her child to a man she finds nearly starved to death in the book’s ending.
Pa Joad
Not as formative of a character as Ma, Pa exists to represent the theme of the loss of human dignity. When the Joad family farm is lost to the bank, and the older Joad is unable to provide for his family, he appears bewildered and lost. Initially, Pa is regarded as the head of the family, and is respected as such.
However, as time progresses, he beings to relinquish his responsibilities to Tom or Ma. Feeling that he is no longer capable of providing financially for his family, Pa grows angry and begins to shut himself off from the world. In Tom’s narratives, readers begin to understand what Pa might have been like as he was being taken away from him land – strong, independent, and capable of a murderous rage when bullied.