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At only 16 years old, Al Joad is on the verge of becoming an adult as his family undertakes the arduous journey to California. As such, he oscillates between attempting to prove his responsibility and maturity to his family and acting with self-interested childishness. We see these impulses at play in his relationship with Tom. His initial disappointment that Tom is out on parole and not an escapee speaks to a boyish romanticization of danger. However, his attempt to talk with Tom about their mother’s reaction to Tom’s incarceration is a mature, adult conversation. For most of the novel, Al’s self-admitted two interests, cars and girls, map neatly onto these two impulses. His interest in cars and his experience driving a truck give him an opportunity to materially help the family. He takes pride in being the only man of the family other than Tom to drive and he also feels the full weight of the responsibility that gives him. When the Hudson fails on the side of the road, he becomes upset, worrying that he did something to put the family in jeopardy. In contrast, at both the government camp and the Hooper ranch, his flirting distracts him from work.
As the family faces hardship in California, Al starts to drift apart from the family, illustrating how the inhumane treatment of agricultural laborers is detrimental to family structure. Because of the cutthroat systems at play, Al comes to believe that he’ll have more success finding work separately from the family. His hasty marriage to Aggie similarly feels like the result of circumstance rather than love and commitment. Both his dreams of having a good job and the quick marriage echo the immature behavior of Connie Rivers in his relationship with Rose of Sharon. These parallels raise questions about how young men can possibly develop maturity and responsibility out of instability and insecurity.
