Tom and Connie

Tom Joad

Tom is the main character for most of this book. At the beginning of the novel we learn that he was in jail for killing a boy in a fight. He is very strong-minded and he follows his own instincts. He is very protective of his family and he seems to want to do anything to please them or to keep them safe. He killed another man in the middle to end of the novel to protect Casy the preacher. This shows his braveness and willingness to do anything to keep his family from harm. He went into hiding to keep the family from being punished. He is very selfless and ambitious. He found work easier than many others and he led his family to safety several times.

Connie

Connie is only in the novel for a short amount of time. He has big dreams and talks up a lot of fantasies of his, but he never followed through. In fact, he actually abandoned his pregnant wife, Rose of Sharon. He always told her he would never leave her and that they would have a house of their own and they would make a lot of money and go to radio school. He is a coward and he did not contribute to the family in any positive way.