Tom Jenkins

Ma Joad - A determined and loving woman, Ma Joad
emerges as the family's center of strength over the
course of the novel as Pa Joad gradually becomes less
effective as a leader and provider. Regardless of how
bleak circumstances become, Ma Joad meets every
obstacle unflinchingly. Time and again, Ma displays a
startling capacity to keep herself together—and to
keep the family together—in the face of great turmoil.
She may demonstrate this faculty best during the
family's crossing of the California desert. Here, Ma
suffers privately with the knowledge that Granma is
dead, riding silently alongside her corpse so that the
family can complete its treacherous journey. At the
end of the episode, Ma's calm exterior cracks just
slightly: she warns Tom not to touch her, saying that
she can retain her calm only as long as he doesn't
reach out to ...