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Characters

• Tom Joad — Protagonist of the story; the Joad family's second son, named after his father. Later on, Tom takes leadership of the family even though he is young.
• Ma Joad — matriarch. Practical and warm-spirited, she tries to hold the family together. Her given name is never learned; it is suggested that her maiden name was Hazlett.
• Pa Joad — patriarch, also named Tom. Hardworking sharecropper and family man.
• Uncle John Joad — Older brother of Pa Joad, feels responsible for the death of his young wife years before when he ignored her pleas for a doctor because he thought she just had a stomachache. He tries to repress sins such as drinking, then fulfills them with gross excesses like binge drinking.
• Jim Casy — A former preacher who lost his faith after committing fornication with willing members of his church numerous times, and from his perception that religion has no solace or answer for the difficulties the people are experiencing. Christ figure, shares his initials with Jesus.
• Al Joad — The second youngest son who cares mainly for cars and girls; looks up to Tom, but begins to find his own way. Over the book's course he gradually matures and learns responsibility.
• Rose of Sharon Rivers — Childish and dreamy teenage daughter who develops as the novel progresses to become a mature woman. She symbolizes regrowth when she helps the starving stranger (see also Roman Charity, works of art based on the legend of a daughter as wet nurse to her dying father). Pregnant in the beginning of the novel, she delivers a stillborn baby, probably as a result of malnutrition. Her name is pronounced "Rosasharn" by the family.
• Connie Rivers — Rose of Sharon's husband. Young and naive, he is overwhelmed by the responsibilities of marriage and impending fatherhood, and abandons her shortly after arriving in California. He is stated to be 19 years old upon his and Tom's first encounter before leaving for California.
• Noah Joad — The oldest son who is the first to willingly leave the family, choosing to stay by an idyllic river and survive by fishing. Injured at birth, described as "strange", he may have slight learning difficulties or autistic spectrum disorder.
• Grandpa William James Joad — Tom's grandfather who expresses his strong desire to stay in Oklahoma. He is drugged to make him leave but dies shortly after of a stroke. Symbolically, it is due to his spirit staying at the farm.
• Granma Joad — The religious wife of Grandpa Joad, she seems to lose the will to live (and consequently dies while crossing the desert) after her husband's death.
• Ruthie Joad — One of the younger children. The youngest daughter. Older than Winfield.
• Winfield Joad — A child. The youngest male in the family. He and Ruthie are close.
• Ivy and Sairy Wilson — Kansas folks in a similar predicament, who help attend the death of Grandpa and subsequently share the travelling with the Joads as far as the California state line. It is implied Sairy is too ill to carry on and probably dies after the Joads and Wilsons part at the state line.
• Mr. Wainwright — The father of Aggie Wainwright and husband of Mrs. Wainwright. Worries over his daughter who is sixteen and in his words "growed up".
• Mrs. Wainwright — Mother to Aggie Wainwright and wife to Mr. Wainwright. She helps deliver Rose-of-Sharon's stillborn baby with Ma.
• Aggie Wainwright — Sixteen years of age. Daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Wainwright. Intends on marrying Al. She has limited interactions with the other characters, but does speak with Ruthie and Winfield when Rose of Sharon goes into labor.