Character Analysis
Nowhere in the book do we learn Gram's real name, and that's fitting, considering she puts her caregiving, grandmotherly relationship with the other Walkers above her own needs. She prepares meals for Lennie and Big, worries over them despite her own pain, and saves her crying for the shower because she thinks they can't hear her.
A Woman With Secrets
Gram is more than a self-sacrificing grandma, though, and sometimes she completely retreats from the world to paint. Uncle Big's theory on Gram is that she has the same family "restless gene" that drove Paige away, only Gram manages to channel it into painting instead of disappearing. Gram doesn't disagree. She says:
"[…] you know how I get when I blow. I started shouting. I do have my share of the tornado inside, that's for sure, especially when I was younger, Big's right." (33.30)
If by "tornado," Gram means anger, it's pretty amazing how little she shows it. She only yells at Lennie once in the book, after Lennie cuts down all of her roses for a boy. We would yell at her, too, especially since she knows how special the roses are to Gram.
Toward the end of the book, we learn that Gram has a big secret: She told her daughter to never come back, and has regretted it ever since. So that's the source of some of her "tornado inside"—bottled up guilt she's carried around for years.
Pain and Love
Because Gram's motherly role is so dominant, Lennie almost forgets that Gram is hurting as much as everyone else. It takes Gram telling Lennie how much she hurts to finally break Lennie out of her own head and push her to care about others. It's a good thing Gram does, too, because in the end, Gram and Lennie's bond is what pushes Lennie to really heal.
Bottom line: There's no question that Gram is a complicated woman, but importantly, she's a strong woman, too. As much as Lennie struggles, her fate would be far worse without Gram holding down the fort on the home front. Thanks for everything, Gram.