Characters: In this story, Tom Joad is the protagonist; he is Ma and Pa Joad's favorite son. ... Pa and Ma Joad are also there, along with Grandma and Grandpa Joad, and his brothers. ... Tom and Jim suggest that they could stay behind to repair it, but Ma Joad refused to split up the family. ... Because Ma and Pa Joad do not have enough money for a burial for Grandma Joad, they drop her body off in a coroner's office. ... The middle was saddening because Ma Joad wanted the family to stay together, but they ended up splitting up or dying. ...

• Word Count: 1415
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

Ma Joad, Tom's mother, was the one who kept the family together. ... After he returns, Tom and Ma start to discuss California. ... Ma does not like the idea of anyone splitting up the family. ... During a routine agricultural check, an officer tells Ma that he needs to unload the vehicle, but Ma implies that Grandma needs immediate medical attention, which the officer falls for and lets them go. ... As Ma makes a stew, hungry children gather around her and she tries to shoo them away unsuccessfully. ...

• Word Count: 2457
• Approx Pages: 10
• Grade Level: High School

The first person Tom sees is his Pa, who insists on surprising Ma with his arrival. ... Ma then slips some sleeping syrup into Granpa's drink, and the Joad family begins their journey to California. ... Meanwhile, the Wilsons and Joads are "in flight" crossing New Mexico. ... Ma decides that they need to leave the camp to find work. ... When all of the boxcar inhabitants take Ma's advice to find higher land, everyone rushes into an old barn, only to find a boy who tells Ma that his father is starving. ...

• Word Count: 1730
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School