A long Journey on Highway 66

 The Grapes of Wrath

Second Quarter

The second quarter of the books begin on Highway 66 where farmer’s cars are all lined up, trying to make their way to California. Many of them are struggling with their cars and are worried that they are going to break before they achieve their goal. Many salesmen are trying to cheat the poor farmers by selling them parts for their cars. During their journey, they are facing many hostile people with suspicions telling them to go back where they belong and that there is not enough place for everyone.

The Joads family was trying to get to California alongside many people. They then meet a couple, Ivy and Sairy Wilson, who were camping on the side of the road. The Joad politely asked them if they could camp with them and stay for the night. The meeting between the Joads and the Wilsons was like a blessing for both families. Each family’s Grandfather died during this part of the book, which could have corrupted the chances of both families to get to California, but because they had each other, they were stronger together. Later during their journey, the car started to make strange noises. They then decided it would maybe be better to split up to repair the car while the others continued their journey to California. This is something that Granma did not appreciate and disapproved of; she was against this plan because she thought it would be better if they all stayed together since they would be stronger against all the ordeals.  

To finish, when the Joad and Wilson finally arrive in California, they discover a small river where they decide to go bathe. They then meet a son and his father that were coming from California. The duo told them they were coming back because they were not able to make a living there and that they were called “Okies”. Even with these warnings, the clan decided to continue their journey and go see by themselves what it really looked like. But before going, Sairy’s health was declining and Ivy convinced the Joads that it would be better for them if they continue their journey alone.  

Thoughts

We learned from this part of the novel that teamwork is very important to succeed in what we try to achieve. We saw in this part that the Joads family was tight together with no matter what and they did the same with the Wilsons. It shows that it is important to face more difficult ordeals in life like the loss of a loved one or only to be facing discrimination. This part of the novel also showed us that with a little act of kindness, we can get anything we want and meet powerful allies during big journeys like the one the Joads and Wilsons were attempting.