Grapes of Wrath Chapter 2

Describe the characterization of Tom Joad seen through the eyes of the truck driver

       In the eyes of the truck driver, it is clear that he thinks Tom Joad is a rich person around town. This is all mostly because of what Tom was wearing, which are some very new but cheap clothing that all look like they were just made. Then, later in the story, the truck driver was making a difficult decision between driving Tom to his designated location or just leaving with a "No Riders" sticker. This was a hard decision for him because he did not want to be kicked around by some rich person. However, he did accept to drive Tom. During the ride, the truck driver seemed intimidated by Tom and it can be seen through how the driver was chewing his gum and secretly looking at Tom for any suspicious activities. It is clear that the driver believes that Tom Joad is a man who should not be messed with. Similarly to real life, people judge others to get an idea of their wealth. For instance, many would be considered rich if they bought clothing from expensive brands such as Gucci, Chanel, Guess, and etc. All in all, clothing plays a major role in what people thing of you in terms of wealth, which can be seen through the truck driver's thoughts and actions.

If anyone has more to add on, it would help very much!