Grapes of Wrath- Hero

I think that the hero in Grapes of Wrath is Tom Joad. When I think of hero, I think of bravery and courage, and that is exactly why I believe Tom Joad is the hero of this book. Tom is the hero because throughout this book he showed that he was brave time after time. For example, I think that making the decision to move to California was very brave and courageous. I think that was a brave move to make because they are risking the lives of their entire family and they are hoping they will be able to find work when they get out there. I think this shows how much things are different now then they were back then. I do not think that anyone nowadays would ever pack up their family and leave without a plan or without having a job lined up already, but back then that is what many families were forced to do because the bank was destroying their farms. I think that Tom knows that there may not be as many jobs in California as they originally thought, but that does not make him change his mind. I liked how even though when some of the family members began to worry about finding jobs, Tom stayed cool and he found ways to make things better. I think that at some points during this book Ma Joad also was a hero in a way, because when the man of the house was failing, she stepped up and became the supporter of the family. I think Ma Joad is a very admirable character because she will do anything she can to keep her family together and she does not hold it against her husband when he has to step down for a little bit. I think that both Ma Joad and Tom Joad are heroes in this book, but for different reasons. I think that they both have a very important role in this book.

Bibliography

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