The Grapes of Wrath

The teen-aged brother of Tom is a social young man, his primary concerns being girls and cars. He admires Tom, particularly because he has been in prison, and until the family reaches California, strives for his older brother's approval. Because he had "driven truck" for a year, Al is given the responsibility of maintaining the family's automobile, a responsibility he takes seriously. Although a pleasant, well-meaning young man, he lacks Tom's sense of morality and accountability. For example, while Tom is investigating the commotion outside the gates of the peach ranch, Al's main objective is searching out available young girls. Although Al never seems to experience a spiritual conversion on the scale of his brother Tom, he does grow in ways that are significant to Steinbeck's message of social change. His engagement to Aggie Wainwright at the close of the novel indicates a joining of the Wainwright and Joad families, an act symbolized by his taking down of the curtain separating the two halves of the boxcar. This joining is only temporary, however, as Al will be left behind when the Joads abandon the boxcar. Aggie and Al, in their desire to create a non-agrarian life outside of their families, represent the ability to change that Steinbeck feels is necessary for the survival of the migrant worker.