Grapes of Wrath 21-25

The Californians fear the migrants. The hostility placed against the Okies fuse them together. Armed mobs terrorize the camps of the migrant men.

The Joads come across the Weedpatch Camp. Weedpatch is government owned and no deputies can terrorize the migrants there. Tom Quickly finds work. Mr. Thomas tells Tom that he is forced to only pay 25 cents an hour by the Farmer's association. Mrs. Sandry stops by to give Rose of Sharon a gruesome and mostly unnecessary warning that if she participates in dancing her baby will be born 'dead and bloody'.

Migrants find different ways to relieve stress. Some sit together and tell folktales. Some will buy alcohol and further escape their troubles. Preachers tell harsh sermons and conduct mass baptisms.

Tom is selected to be part of a security detail for the camp dance. Three agitators are quickly spotted upon entering the camp. The men's plans come to a halt as they are dragged out of the dance by the security team. The men are dealt with civilly, and they are simply ousted from the camp with no visible wounds.

Local farmers are ruined by the massive corporations. They watch as their livelihood disintegrates with their crop. “In the souls of the people, the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage.”

Grapes of Wrath 17-20

The migrant families become one unit. The families are not a single group anymore, but they are part of the migrant men.

The final obstruction in the Joad's path is the desert. After crossing this desert the Joad's hope to find lush land and work. As the men bathe in a river, a man warns them to turn back. He tells them that there is no work for them, and the people in California do not want any 'Okies' around. After this conversation Noah decides to stay at the river and live off of it. Meanwhile, Grandma's health is continually deteriorating. The Joads are forced to leave the Wilsons behind, and grandma dies.

The narrator describes the irony of California. It became American because of squatters who believed they owned the land because they were farming it. Now the descendants of these squatters are trying to drive off the migrants who only want to feed their families.

Tom meets Floyd Knowles. Floyd gives Tom advice on how to act around the police. Those who try to organize against the landowners are labeled 'red' and arrested or blacklisted, meaning they will get no work. A confrontation arises between Floyd and a contractor who happens to have a deputy with him. When the deputy tries to arrest Floyd, he is tripped and knocked unconscious by Casy and Tom. Casy takes the blame and is arrested. That night, Connie lips away from the family and disappears.

Grapes of Wrath 8-16

As Tom and Casy travel to Uncle John's house, Tom tells stories about John. He tell how John's wife dies after complaining of a stomach ache which John dismissed and refused to hire a doctor. He then tell about John's generosity, and he tells about how he is still unable to be comforted after his one fatal mistake. Upon his arrival at John's house, Ma and Pa do not recognize Tom. He explains he has been paroled to lay their fears that he has broken out to rest. After breakfast Al arrives, and his respect and admiration for Tom is shown.

The Joads are not the only people traveling to California. Tenant farmers prepare for their migration. Most sell their belongings for mere pennies.

Tom and Ma talk about California. Ma reveals that she is worried what California will be like, but decides to trust the handbill. The Joads decide Casy can go with them. Suddenly, Grandpa decides he no longer wants to leave. He says he'll be like Muley, but the family won't let that happen. He is drugged and taken with them.

The land is emptied as the farmers leave for California. Tractors continue to work the land, but they have no connection to it. People lose the wonder for the land.

Route 66 is packed with migrants. Salesmen cheat the farmers out of their money. The farmers are continually met with hostility.

Al drives the truck down Route 66. He and Ma discuss California. The Joads stop at a service station to get gas. As they wait at the station, the family dog it hit and killed by a car. The Joads press on and meet the Wilsons. Grandpa dies. The Wilsons and the Joads decide to travel together.

People in the West do not like or understand the migrant farmers. The roads are lined with families. Ditches are filled with family camps. The migrants become feared because of their numbers.

In a diner a waitress named Mae waits for customers. She wantes truckers to stop by because they leave good tips. A tattered man and his boys com into the store. The man wants a loaf of bread for a dime, but Mae won't sell at first. She finally softens and even gives the boys two pieces of candy for a penny.

The Wilsons and Joads settle into a new traveling routine. Rose of Sharon discusses how she and Connie want to live in town. Ma dislikes this idea because she does not want the family to be broken up. A man reveals what California is really like. His family starved to death because he could not find work. The Joads become worried. CAsy tries to reassure them that it may be different for them.

Pictures of the Great Depression

The Grapes of Wrath Chapters 1-7

The story begins with Tom Joad, who was recently released from prison, hitch hiking home to his families farm. After he has hitched as far as he can, he begins to walk to the farm. Along the way Tom finds Jim Casy sitting far away from the town by a tree. Tom knew Casy as his childhood preacher. Casy begings to tell Tom why he is no longer a preacher, and the two men talk for a while. They begin to walk to the Joad farm when they come across Muley Graves. The two men eat with Graves and sleep outside his cave. After they wake up, Casy travels with Tom to the Joad farm which they discover has been repossessed by the bank. Now the men decide to head to Uncle John's house.