The introduction of the main character: Tom Joad

Although Tom Joad killed a man, his persona is far from that of a villainous murderer. We are first introduced to the hitchhiking Tom Joad in chapter two when he converses with a kindhearted truck driver whom agrees to give Joad a lift to his parents' house. The trucker is a very observant man, therefore he notes traits of Joad's appearance. Through the eyes of the truck driver Tom Joad is described as having, "dark quiet eyes" and "long teeth"; the driver also notices that Tom Joad is wearing new clothes and shoes and he has a thin body frame. As far as Joad's personality traits go, he comes off as introverted compared to the social truck driver who speaks during the majority of their conversation. After Tom Joad feels more comfortable he opens up to the driver and he eventually admits to him the reason he spent the past four years in McAlester, "Homicide. That's a big word-means I killed a guy." This knowledge of Joad's past could be considered the inciting incident of the novel because we not only learn the reason behind his long absence from home but more importantly we become aware of his isolation from a negatively changed economy known as The Great Depression.