Who is the "hero" in this book and what are some of his/her traits?
The true hero of the story was obviously Tom Joad. At the beginning of the story, Tom was a bit of a scary character. I mean, he did just get out of jail after serving a 4 year sentence for killing someone. All he wanted to do was kick back and spend time on his farm. When he got home and realized that times were tough, however, he did not just give up. He didn't sit back and take orders from someone else. He took charge and made something happen. He made a commitment to making sure that his family would be okay. Tom was a leader. But at the same time, throughout the novel, he was a very distant character. It almost seemed like he was mystic, and the reader never really knew a lot about him.
Tom was also great at giving advice. And it wasn't the kind of advice that leaves you wondering "what is he trying to say?" Tom gave advice straight up most of the time, like when he told the one-eyed mechanic to get an eye patch and take a bath. He just fixed two of that man's problems. 1: The man will no longer have a huge hole in his face where an eye is supposed to be on a normal person. 2: The man will be able to get himself a lady friend because he will no longer stink. Tom was a hero to many people. All of the people that he helped out along his journey, especially his family, were witness to his heroism.
Tom represented the abstract idea of courage. Tom was a corrupt man when the story began, and he had to give up his intentions of being lazy and step up to the plate. So many people were relying on him to be everything he could be, and he did not let those people down. That is what makes a hero.
Steinbeck, John, and Robert J. DeMott. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2006. Print.
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