Grandpa and Grandma Joad are not very different from each other. Grandpa, in his younger days, used to have a terrible temper, but now because of his age he is limited in what he can say or do. Grandpa also loves to torment grandma and delights in shocking people with his sinful talk. When the Joads decide they are going to move to California Grandpa refuses to leave, so the family drugs him in order to move him from his home.(Steinbeck, 113) Grandpa passes away soon after leaving home. Grandma on the other hand is a devoted Christian and loves to get on Grandpa for his talk and his temper. She also passes away shortly after Grandpa.
The other children in the Joad household include, Noah, Ruthie and Winfield. Noah is Tom's older brother. He has always been a little deformed since birth and tells Tom that their parents have always loved the other children more than him. Instead of going with them all the way to California, Noah decides to stay back and live by a stream on the border of California. (Steinbeck, 209) Ruthie is the second and youngest daughter in the family. She has a fiery personality and is very dependant on her little brother Winfield. Winfield is the youngest child in the Joad family. He is ten years of age, and Ma Joad worries that he will grow up to be wild because he does not live in a proper home.
The Joads encounter many other people on their journey such as Ivy and Sairy Wilson. The Joad's meet the Wilson's while traveling on route 66. The Wilsons let the Joads borrow their tent so that Grandpa can have a descent resting place and in return the Joads fix the Wilsons broken down car. The two families decide to stick together for awhile and help each other out. Eventually though, the Wilsons have to stop due to Sairy's health. There are also other important characters in this book, but I decided to just cover some of the main ones.
Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2002. Print.
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