 Dressed in “all of them, cheap and new… gray cap…suit of cheap gray hard cloth”

 symbolic of the “system” that oppresses the people. ◦ “fixed” – rigged so that the individual player will eventually lose, victimized by a system, which only seems to be offering him a fair chance.

He played him if he doesn’t let him ride with him then he’s saying that the company controls him and he’s a bad guy, whereas if he lets him ride “he was automatically a good guy and also he was not one whom any rich bastard could kick around.”

 “I’d walk her if my dogs wasn’t pooped out”  “Didn’t have no other shoe… guy got to wear ‘em if he got no others.”

“Cropper going fast now… One cat’ takes and shoves ten families out. Cat’s all over hell now.” p. 13

 “Been swingin’ a pick or an ax or a sledge. That shines up your hands. I notice all stuff like that…. Now don’t get sore. I Just like to notice things. Makes the time pass” (13).  “chewed as rhythmically, as thoughtfully, as a cow” (14).  Hmmm… sarcasm anyone?

 He introduces the motif of the lowly employee forced to follow his employer’s rules.  Ironic- juxtaposition of the driver, a traveling man, and Tom, who is on his way home to settle down permanently.  Tom knows that the driver’s plans sound unrealistic but doesn’t realize that his own plans are equally unrealistic

 No lonely--- has to stop at diners  “Looks easy, jus’ settin’ here till you put in your […] hours. But the roads gets into a guy” (15).  Wants to take a correspondence course– “study a few easy lessons at home” (16). ◦ “A guy can’t drink liquor all the time and study like I’m goin’ to”= American Dream  Tom- “You sure took a hell of a long time to get to it” (17)

 McAlster  7 year sentence for homicide, but he was out in 4.

 Tells off the driver because of his nosiness, says he could “could smell a question comin’ from hell to breakfast” (19)  Interesting scene with the bug- “crushed its hard skull-like head with his fingers, and he let it into the wind stream out the window” (17).

 -symbol of the migrants. ◦ Faces dangers but always manages to right itself and keep going. ◦ maintains a southwesterly direction, paralleling the course of the Joads. ◦ reflects the link between human and animal life, which are at the mercy of a harsh natural order which barely be comprehended, much less controlled.

“embankment grew steeper and steeper, the more frantic were the efforts of the land turtle” (21). “red ant ran into the shell, into the soft skin inside the shell, and suddenly head and legs snapped in, and the armored tail clamped in… red ant was crushed between body and legs” (21).– nature “wild oats was clamped into the shell”-- life “elephant legs”- stronger than appears

 “driven by a forty year old woman… she saw the turtle and swung to the right, off the highway, the wheels screamed and a cloud of dust boiled up…. Turtle hurried on” (22).  Kind people

 “driver saw the turtle and swerved to hit it…flipped the turtle like a tiddly-wink, spun it like a coin, and rolled it off the highway. The truck went back to its course” (22).  Turtle uprights itself “as the turtle crawled on down the embankment, its shell dragged dirt over the seeds.”