Al Joad
From reading from the script so far I've learnt that Al is 16 and quite smart with the truck. When he first enters on page 20, he walks with a "swagger", but this would be more western, like in Mightnight cowboy:
I also think Al had to be more mature than a modern 16 year old because he had to care for his family due to the horrible conditions of the Great depression and the dust bowl, but also because he feels he has to take on the role of an older brother in the family; the oldest son, Noah, has mental problems and Tom, the second born, has been in prison since Al was 12. However because Tom returns at the start of the play, Al is shifted down in the family ranks.
Research
Al Joad is described to "billygoat" and "tomcat" his way around the country, showing he isn't too bad with women. He drove a truck for a company the year before, and so he becomes the family mechanic, able to drive cars and fix them, too. He looks up to his older brother, Tom: "Al knew that even he had inspired some admiration among boys of his own age because his brother had killed a man" (8.135). However, living in his big brother's shadow can be a lot of pressure.
Al likes girls a lot, but he has no intention of getting married anytime soon (he is only sixteen). He promises to marry one girl in Weedpatch, and then eventually gets engaged to another girl who lives in the same abandoned boxcar as he does. As the winter rains flood the land, Al decides to split apart from his family, remaining with his fiancée and her family.
Adapted from http://www.shmoop.com/grapes-of-wrath/al-joad.html
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