"Ma, there’s a coupla fellas jus’ come along the road, an’ they wonder if we could spare a bite."
Tom heard his mother’s voice, the remembered cool, calm drawl, friendly and humble. "Let ’em come," she said. "We got a’plenty."
– John Steinbeck
The Grapes of Wrath, Chapter 8. Ma Joad’s kind-heartedness and willingness to help out strangers is evident from the moment we meet her in the novel. Here Pa Joad tells her that a couple of men have arrived to the door looking for food. When she immediately offers them nourishment and comfort, she is not aware that they are her son Tom and Jim Casy. The theme of gender roles is also explored here, as Pa Joad asks his wife’s permission to take them in – Ma very soon takes over leadership of the Joad family.