The Grapes of Wrath Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Summary: Tom and Ma talk about what they will be doing when they get to California, such as working of fruit farms picking fruit and working in the shade, and they talk about how much it sounds too good to be true. Then Casy asks if he can ride with the family and go west with them, and Ma says it is all right with her, but when the “Council” gets together tonight she will let them decide. Then the truck returns to the house and Ruthie, Winfield, Rose of Sharon, Pa, Uncle John ad Al all get out of the truck and are all happy to see Tommy again. However they are discouraged because they only got 18 dollars for all their belongings and household items. Later that evening the “council” met outside the truck. They talked about letting the preacher come along. And they decided it was a good Idea to have a preacher on the trip incase there was a wedding or a death. Then they start getting all packed up for the trip, by slaughtering the pigs and salt-packing the pork into barrels and then load the rest of the belongings into the truck. The truck is ready by the next morning. In the morning before they leave Muley Graves comes to see them off, however, Grandpa decides he doesn’t want to leave and starts refusing. So Ma puts sleep medicine in his coffee which knocks him out fast. He gets loaded into the back of the truck and then they take off. They all watch their home disappear into the distance.

Themes:

· The importance of the land to the people (it was hard for them to leave their home and they all watched it as they drove away)

· The importance of family (they wont let grandpa stay behind)

· People vs. “Moloch” (they could only get $18 for all there household items and belongings)

Nature vs. Machine (the car is what is most important to the family now, not the land)

Characters:

· Pa

· Ma

· Uncle John

· Muley Graves

· Connie

· Rosasharn

· Ruthie

· Winfield

· Al

· Casy

· Tom