In the beginning, Tom Joad acts for himself. He does not
care for anyone else but himself. He does not think of doing anything for
anyone that does not benefit him. As the novel goes on, Joad begins to be more
of a family oriented man. The hardships the Joad's face changes his thinking. He
puts their needs before his and helps many people whenever he could. When Tom
Joad meets Jim Casy on his way home after being let out of jail, Casy shares
his guilt from his sinning when he was a preacher. Throughout the novel, Joad
revisits his time with Casy to better connect himself to his surroundings. Joad
was a positive impact on his life helping him find purpose in the world and fight
for what he believes in. He sees how the workers are treated worse than animals
which brings him to realizes the many injustices and takes up the fight when
Casy dies fighting for the rights of the migrant workers. Even after Casy's
death, Joad continues to spread the word of peace that Casy taught him. He
looks out for not only his family, but the group of workers he is fighting for.
He progresses from being self centered to a caring man. His beliefs about
changing the world is now different because he is a better man from his
experiences. He continues to spread the concept of everyone being a small piece
of the huge world and everyone does their part to remain in peace. Later, he finds himself going with the flow. Just "one step after another." He says to not worry about the future anymore but to live life in the moment. There is no time to worry about what will happen but just concentrate on living in the present. In the end,
Tom Joad realizes it's not just all about family, it is about uniting into one
to do something greater.
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