Chapter 26

1. Chapter 26

2. Ma Speaks at Weedpatch • Why is Ma the first to speak? • They’ve been there for a month, and Tom has had only 5 days of work • All men are “Scairt to talk” (478). • Rosasharn and Winfield both have lost their “color” – starvation

3. Headed up North to Tulare for Cotton • Why can’t the go to Marysville and pick fruit?

4. Pa’s Last Fight for COntrol • Pa says, “Time was when a man said what we’d do. Seems like women is tellin’ now. Seems like it’s purty near time to get a stick” (481). • Ma’s reply- “You get your stick, Pa. Times when they’s food an’ a place to set, then maybe you can sue your stick an’ keep your skin whole. But you ain’t a-doin’ your job, either a-thinkin’ or a workin’. If you was you could use your stick” (481).

5. “He’s all right. He ain’t beat. He’s like as not to take a smack at me” (481) • Why did Ma get Pa all wound up? • When a man gets worried, it eats him up and “he’ll just lay down and die with hert et out. But if you can take an’ make ‘im mad, why, he’ll be awright… He’ll show me now” (481).

6. Tired Tom Ma says Tom isn’t like the rest, he’s more than just himself. “Ever’thing you do is more’n you” (482) What does she mean? If Jim Casy is Jesus Christ who could Tom be? Hm….

7. Tom’s Growing Sense of Anger • Tom is afraid—tells men in the camp that he is afraid that he will kill someone if he is pushed around any more • Ma’s Worry and Strange Attitude Regarding Tom—A sense of destiny for him "You got more sense, Tom. I don' need to make you mad. I got to lean on you. Them others- they're kinda strangers, all but you. You won't give up, Tom." The job fell on him. "I don' like it," he said. "I wanta go out like Al. An' I wanta get mad like Pa, an' I wanta get drunk like Uncle John." Ma shook her head. "You can't, Tom. I know. I knowed from the time you was a little fella. You can't. They's some folks that's just theirself an' nothin' more. There's Al- he's jus' a young fella after a girl. You wasn't never like that, Tom."

8. Rosasharn worried about the baby • She has no milk baby’s going to be bad • Rite of passage earrings • Why else does Ma give Roasharn the earrings?

9. What’s the significance of this quote? Willie states- “It’s ‘cause we’re all a-workin’ together. Depity can’t pick on one fella in this camp. He’s pickn’ on whole darn camp. An’ he don’t dare. All we got o do is give a yell an’ they’s two hundred men out. Fellaorganizin’ for the union was a-talkin’ out on the road. He says we could do that any place. Jus’ stick together. They ain’t raisin’ hell with no two hundred men. They’re pick on one man” (488).

10. Jules- “Suppose you got a union? You got to have leaders. They’ll jus’ pick up your leaders, an’ where’s your union?” (488). What is Jules saying here? What weakness is he pointing out?

11. Why? Why were there animal abuse laws (1866) before child abuse laws (1968)? Horse > Man Willie- “I don’t know what to do. If a fella owns a team a horse, he don’t raise no hell if he go to feed ‘em when they ain’tworkin’. But if a fella got men workin’ for him, he jus’ don’t give a damn. Horses is a hell of a lot more worth than men. I don’ understand it.”

12. What does Jules contemplate doing? What are the only two choices to get out of Weedpatch?

13. Sticks and Stones may Break your bones, but Names will never hurt you… Winfield punches kids because he said they were “goddmanOkies” (490). Ma- “He can’t hurt you callin’ names” (490). Prejudice amongst migrants violence

14. Tom and Al banter about what they could have… Al wants girls, but being single means he has more freedom. Tom thinks the first time Al settles down he’d get a girl in the fambly way. He wouldn’t be living as a bachelor for long. Tom wants coffee and Ma says, “Tom! I got a dollar put away. You want coffee bad enough to spen’ it” (494)- Momma’s favorite

15. Hoovervilles and Winter • “them peopled been burned out fifteen-twenty times…an’ then they come out an’ build ‘em another weed shack” (494).- Al • “Winter’s on the way. I jus’ hope we can get some money ‘fore ti comes. Tent ain’tgonna be nice in the winter” (495)- Tom

16. Nail in tire, but they run into a man with “a massive gold wedding ring on 3rd finger and a little gold football hung on a slender chain across his vest” (497) Who is he? What news does he give them? Turn east at Pixley and keep straight east to Hooper Ranch

17. “A snake wriggled across the warm highway. Al zipped over and ran it down and came back to his own lane.‘I hate ‘em. Hate all kinds. Give me the stomach-quake’” (499). What do you think the snake represents?

18. Happy Hooligan Story • So he's got himself a rope somewheres, an' he goes over the wall. They's six guards outside with a great big sack, an' Hooligan comes quiet down the rope an' they jus' hol' the sack out an' he goes right inside. They tie up the mouth an' take 'im back inside. Fellas laughed so hard they like to died. But it busted Hooligan's spirit. He jus' cried an' cried, an' moped aroun' an' got sick. Hurt his feelin's so bad. Cut his wrists with a pin an' bled to death 'cause his feelin's was hurt. No harm in 'im at all. What is the significance of Hooligan’s story?

19. As they approach Hooper ranch, what do the Joads see? • “The line of cars moved on, with the Joad truck last. Two motorcycles led the way, and two followed” (502). • Tom’s sixth sense is on “Don’ need four cops to lead us. I don’ like it… These Here is our own people, all of ‘em. I don’t like this.” (502).

20. “Tom saw a line of men standing in the ditch beside the road, saw their mouths open as thought they were yelling, saw their shaking fists and their furious face” (502) What’s happening?

21. What does this sound like? “Fifty little square, flat-roofed boxes… At the end of each row stood two men armed with shotguns and wearing big silver stars pinned to their shirts” (503) Separation of church and state. What about separation of business and state?

22. Joads told to goto “house sixty-three. Wages 5 cents a box. NO bruised fruit” (503).

23. Deputies check them in and look at a list for their name. Why?

24. Life in a Work Camp • The family finds work at the Hooper Ranch, picking peaches • Conditions are hard—and the owners of the land are exploiting the workers in every way—low wages, high costs for food, poor conditions • “Meanness” of people around them.

25. Ma and the Store Clerk • "Doin' a dirty thing like this. Shames ya, don't it? Got to act flip, huh?" Her voice was gentle. • The clerk watched her, fascinated. He didn't answer. "That's how it is," Ma said finally. • The clerk is another symbol of how relatively decent people have to turn mean to survive. He is ashamed by Ma’s response to his behavior—but has become hardened by the experience of seeing so many people suffer.

26. What’s the significance of this quote? What is he implying about Ma and the migrants in general? “I ain’tguaranteein’ I’d eat her myself; but they’s lots of stuff I wouldn’ do” (511)- store clerk

27. What theme is this an example of? • “A fella got to eat… A fella got a right to eat” (512) -Clerk • How is he just like the migrants? He won’t give the Ma sugar even for a dime, but then “he took ten cents from his pocket and rang it up in the cash register” (513)

28. Ma has learned.. • “If you’re in trouble or hurt or need– go to poor people. They’re the one ones that’ll help– the only ones” (513-514).

29. Tom asks Guards where he can take a bath- they laugh • “there’s a hose over there…Them goddamn Okies. ‘is they warm water?’ he says… It’s them gov’ment camp.” How do the guards treat the migrants?

30. It’s going down tonight Guards- “State police got it in hand…they’s a long-lena son of abithc spark-pluggin the thing. Fella says they’ll get him tonight, an’ then she’ll go to pieces” (516) Hm… I wonder who the leader could be…

31. Tom takes a walk after his unfulfilling dinner • Tom meets the guard who tells him to turn back or “shall I whistle some help an’ take you?” (519) • Prisoner or ranch?

32. Who are the Pickets and Goddamn reds?

33. Reunion with Casy • Leading the strike against the Ranch

34. Casy’s Jailhouse Epiphany • “Here’s me, been a-goin’ into the wilderness like Jesus to try find our somepin. Almost got her sometimes, too. But it’s in the jail house I really got her. Great big ol’ cell, an’ she’s full all a time. New guys come in, and guys got out. An’ ‘course I talked to all of ‘em” (521) • “They was nice fellas, ya see. What made ‘em bad was they needed stuff. An’ I begin to see, then. It’s need that makes all the trouble” (521) • Need causes men to do what?

35. Riot in the Prison • “One fella started yellin’, an’ nothin’ happened. He yelled his head off…. Then we all got yellin’… By God! Then somepin happened! They come a-running, and they give us some other stuff to eat– give it to us” (522). What does Casy learn?

36. What caused the strike?

37. "We was outa food," Tom said. "Tonight we had meat. Not much, but we had it. Think Pa's gonna give up his meat on account a other fellas? An' Rosasharn oughta get milk. Think Ma's gonna wanta starve that baby jus' 'cause a bunch a fellas is yellin' outside a gate?" Casy said sadly, "I wisht they could see it. I wisht they could see the on'y way they can depen' on their meat- Oh, the hell! Get tar'd sometimes. God awful tar’d. I knowed a fella. Brang 'im in while I was in the jail house. Been tryin' to start a union. Got one started. An' then them vigilantes bust it up. An' know what? Them very folks he been tryin' to help tossed him out. Wouldn' have nothin' to do with 'im. Scared they'd get saw in his compn’y.

38. Casy as Christ Figure • Almost a Sense of the Last Supper- trying convince his followers without telling them what to do or think to do or think • His Death • Casy stared blindly at the light. He breathed heavily. "Listen," he said. "You fellas don‘ know what you're doin'. You're helpin' to starve kids." • Christ’s first words from the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” • Charges Tom with Spreading the Message, letting the people know. Tom as a disciple figure, charged with spreading Casy’s word.

39. Tom’s Reaction • Tom kills the man who killed Casy- hits him three times, and is happy to think that he might have killed him • "I don' know. It was dark. An' somebody smacked me. I don' know. I hope so. I hope I killed the bastard." • Places family in danger—forced evacuation from the Hooper Ranch • Tom offers to leave the family, but Ma refuses to let him • I can't get straight. They ain'tnothin' keeps us clear. Al- he's a hankerin' an' a-jibbitin' to go off on his own. An' Uncle John is jus' a-draggin' along. Pa's lost his place. He ain't the head no more. We're crackin' up, Tom. There ain't no fambly now. An' Rosasharn-” She looked around and found the girl's wide eyes. "She gonna have her baby an' they won't be no fambly. I don' know. I been a tryin’ to keep her goin’. Winfel- what’s he gonna be, this-a-way? Gettin' wild, an' Ruthie too- like animals. Got nothin' to trus'. Don' go, Tom. Stay an' help." Rose of Sharon’s Anger at Tom for the attack- she is selfish, afraid, and scared.

40. Ma and Jokes • “I don’t like it, Tom. We don’t joke no more. When they’s a joke, it’s a mean bitter joke, an’ they ain’t no fun in it.” i.e. “Fella says today, ‘Depression is over. I seen a jackrabbit, an’they wasn’t nobody after him.’ An’ another fella says, ‘ That ain’t the reason. Can’t afford to kill jackrabbits no more. Catch ‘em and milk ‘em an’ turn ‘em loose. One you seen prob’ly gone dry.’ That’s how I mean. Ain’t really funny (540). • -shows the migrants loss of humanity

41. Cops says Tom hit first “Ma, if– this fella done somepin wrong, maybe he’d think, ‘O.K. Le’s get the hangin’ over. I done wrong an’ I got to take it.’ But this felladidn’ do nothin’ wrong. He don’ feel no worse’n if he killed a skunk” (545) Why doesn’t Tom feel guilty?

42. Tom has to leave, But Ma takes a Stand • “We can hide you, an’ we can see you get to eat while your face gets well… You ain’tgoin’. We’re a –takin’ you.” • Going to hide Tom in between two mattresses. Pa says, “Seems like the man ain’t got not say no more. She’s just a heller. Come time we get settled down, I’m a-gonna smack her” (546).

43. Rosasharn wishes for Connie “Wisht we was home an’ never come. Connie wouldn’ a went away fi we was home. He would a studied up an’ got someplace” (548). Pa and Uncle John don’t answer her they just looked her “embarrassed about Connie” (548).

44. How have the migrants changed from Weedpatch to Hooper? Why? • Ma- “Give ya a funny feelin’ to be hunted like. I’m gittin’ mean” (550). • Pa- “Ever’body’sgittin’ mean. Ever’body. You seen that fight today. Fella changes Down that gov’ment camp we wasn’t mean” (550).