The Grapes of Wrath
What is the meaning of the reference to Pretty Boy Floyd?
Chapter Eight.
Chapter Eight.
Ma is all scared that Tom would turn mean in prison. She was afraid that Prison would turn Tom into a "mean man" and she didn't want "no mean boy". Ma says that she knew Pretty Boy Floyd's mother and prison changed her son. Ma was afraid that Tom would end up like Pretty Boy Floyd and she would not be able to recognize Tom anymore.