Grapes of Wrath Chapters 8-16

As Tom and the preacher continue on their journey, the preacher asks about Uncle John. Tom tells the preacher that Tom is a lonely man who lost his wife because something busted inside of her. Uncle John refused to get a doctor for her because he said it was just a stomachache, so his wife died the next day. Now Uncle John just leaves little presents for folks on their ddoorsteps, but will not talk to the people because he is too shy and embarassed. Finally, Tom and the preacher reach Uncle John's house and see Tom's dad, Tom Joad Sr. At first, Tom Joad Sr. does not recognize Tom, but after he does, he wants to surprise Tom's mom. After Tom's mom is surprised, she asks Tom if he is mean mad since he has gotten out of jail. Tom explains to her that he is not going to go crazy. Once Grandpa and Grandma hear of Tom's arrival, they head towards the house. Grandpa is being his usual mean self and trying to button his buttons. Grandma comes up yelling "Pu'raise Gawd fur vittory," and she still seems the same as always because she is just as mean as Grandpa. They claim for the reason of Grandpa still living would be because he is full of piss and vinegar. Steinbeck introduces Tom's older brother, Noah. Noah is different from Tom and Tom Joad Sr. blames himself. He got too excited when Tom's mom was having Noah that he pulled on Noah's head when he was coming out. Noah's head looks slightly disoriented and comes across as dumb.Steinbeck also introduces Al, one of Tom's younger brothers, who is sixteen years old. Al is tom-cattin' around the country, and loves working on cars. Tom also asks his dad where Rose of Sharon is at. Rose of Sharon is one of Tom's younger sisters and is married to Connie Rivers with a baby along the way. Steinbeck also introduces Tom's other siblings Ruthie and Winfield. Ruthie is eleven years old, and Winfield is eight years old. We soon find out that Casy wants to go to California with the family also so he can be around people. The family sits around in a circle and discuss when they are going to leave and what happened with selling all of their items. They only get eighteen dollars in all, decide to leave the next day, and everyone else agrees that the preacher can come with them. Ma sets fire to the things that she cannot take with her and Muley arrives to tell everyone goodbye. Once Grandpa wakes up and everyone is about to leave, he claims that he is not going. He says that he grew up on the land and he wants to die on the land. Pa, Ma, and Tom give Grandpa a heavy dose of medicine to make him sluggish so they can just put him on the truck. As they drive on Highway 66, Al continually makes sure that everything is going okay with the truck. Once the Joad's come to a gas station, the gas station attendant asks Casy and Tom what the country is coming to. Casy and Tom both explain irritably that people have got to move and soon he will be too. After they fill up the tank and are getting a drink, Ma asks Rose of Sharon to help with Grandma. Rose of Sharon doesn't want to because she is afraid it will hurt the baby. Rose of Sharon is constantly worried that something is going to happen to her baby. All of the sudden, a car comes flashing down the pavement and runs over the family dog. They drive along a bit more and decide to stop for the night beside a couple. The couple is Ivy and Saria Wilson. Grandpa continues to get worse, but Saria tells them to put Grandpa into their tent. Casy comes in and says a type of prayer, and then Grandpa dies of a stroke. The Joad's cannot afford a proper burial, so they bury Grandpa themselves and leave a note in his grave saying who he is and what he died of. Grandma is having a hard time trying to maintain a straight face about the whole situation. The Joad's feel obligated to the Wilson's for their hospitality, so they decide to help out the Wilson's with their car and they will head to California together. Once they get back on the road, Rose of Sharon tells her mom that Connie is going to study in night classes to be an electrician and then open his own store. The two of them want to move into town to raise the baby. After Ma tells Rose of Sharon what she thinks, the car breaks down. Both Tom's were just going to have Tom Joad Jr. and Casy stay overnight to fix it and catch up with the family the next day, but Ma refuses to let that happen. She tells Pa why she refuses to let the family break apart while holding a jack handle. They finally decide that Tom and Casy will stay behind and the family will go on to stop at the first place that has shade and water. Al and Tom go on and walk to a place to find a part for the car. A one-eyed man is there and tells them how horrible his life is. Tom tells the man to stop feeling sorry for himself and actually start caring about what he is doing and what he looks like. Once they get back to the car, Al, Casy, and Tom fix the car and go on to the place with shade and water. They soon find out that the family had to pay to stay where they are at, and the proprietor will not let them stay unless they pay him also. After the proprietor and Tom stop disputing, a ragged man comes up and tells the men what California is really like for the people looking for work. Finally, Tom, Casy, and Uncle John stay in the truck and drive around to find a place to sleep and not get in trouble by a deputy sheriff. The Joad's are beginning to see what life is going to be like since they moved from their "home."