TGoW character analysis

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  • Character Analysis
    • Pa Joad
      • Supposed head of the family (breadwinner)
      • He lets Ma take charge when he no longer knows what to do
      • Feels useless without work
        • Shows the helplessness of migrant farmers when they have no land or work
    • Tom Joad
      • Got out of prison and only just managed to find his family before they left
      • Tries his best to provide for his family
        • He leaves the family to continue Casy's legacy
      • He turns to Communism/Socialism and fights for migrant rights
    • Casy
      • Preacher who went off alone to reassess his sins and his religious sense
      • Preacher who wanted to reassess his sins and religious presence
        • Despite insisting he's no longer a preacher others still make him pray for them
      • Finds his calling in Communism and fighting for the rights of migrant farmers
    • Al Joad
      • Looks up to Tom, wants to be like him
      • Knows about cars - is probably the only thing which allows the Joads to get all the way across to California
      • He is the last to leave the family - staying with teh girl he plans to marry
        • He chooses to start his own family despite the hopelessness of their situation
    • Noah Joad
      • Different and distant - Pa believes he damaged him during his birth
      • He is the first to leave the family
        • Shows the crumbling of the Joads
    • Wilsons
    • Uncle John
      • Infintely guilty after the death of his wife
      • Without work he turns to alcohol to get rid of the pain
        • Shows the helplessness of the migrant farmer's situation
    • Grandma + Grandpa Joad
      • Traditional Southerners
      • Grandma begs Casy to say grace with them despite his insistence that he's not a preacher
      • Both are very linked to the land. Grandpa dies before they leave, and Grandma dies not long after.
        • They represent the link between farmers and their natural land.
    • Ma Joad
      • Keeps her traditional roles - but when everyone falls apart (including Pa) she remains strong
      • She remains with the family - never leaves
      • Even she works when it comes down to it - she will provide for her family as well as do her traditional jobs
    • Rosasharon
      • Her child is a symbol of the extreme suffering of the migrant farmers
      • Naive at the beginning - believes her and Connie will succeed in California
        • At the end she changes and ends up saving another migrant farmer
      • She relies on Ma more than others - shows female allegiance
      • Symbol of the migrant's naivety

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