Mothers always know what's best for their family. The Grapes of Wrath, By John Steinbeck, gives many great exemplifications of the transformations and the type of character Ma Joad is over the course of the novel. The novel also proves that Ma Joad knows exactly what is best for her family. She overcomes deaths, hardships, and famine, while also growing overall as a person. Ma Joad is an indirect character in the narrative. She is spoken about in third person omniscient. The author describes her in a very detailed and specific way. The book reads," Her hazel eyes seemed to have experienced all possible tragedy and to have mounted pain and suffering like steps into a high calm and superhuman understanding" (Steinbeck 74). Although the author describes her like this he also describes the life she is living throughout the whole novel. In the beginning of the book Ma Joad is very much a pragmatist, or a person who is trying to reach a goal. Her goal is to keep her family from …show more content…
This is another example of Ma Joads characterization and a development she had. It also shows just how strong Ma has become, and she is considered a symbol of human love, it is a love of family as a whole above all others that she practices. As the family's economic situation worsens, Ma can do nothing to keep them together. This was proven by the fact Granma and Granpa had died before the family made it to California despite her efforts to keep her family whole. In conclusion, Ma Joad is a character that throughout the book grows as a symbol of human love. She is also a strong tie for the family that develops even more so throughout the whole book. The very family oriented Ma Joad is a main character in this book, who is also written as an indirect character that the author describes in vivid