Grapes of Wrath ch. 9-13

In chapter 9, it talks about them going to town and selling their stuff. They aren't very experienced sellers because the buyers pretty much stole their goods because they didn't get as much money as they were worth. I don't understand why they let the buyers get away with what they did because the Joad's knew that the stuff was worth more than what they were offered.

In chapter 10, Tom and his mom are talking about California and I don't understand the part that Tom seemed to know more about California than he was telling the family. If he knew something bad about California, why didn't he tell them? The preacher decided to go with the Joads', but how is there that much room in the vehicle for the whole family and their possessions? Then we met Rose of Sharon and Connie when the truck got back from selling their goods. They only got $18 on what they sold. I also wonder why it was all Al's responsibility for the maintenance of the truck. They had a meeting and decided when to go to California. Then after supper they changed their minds and wanted to leave the next morning at sunrise. There was a part in this chapter that talked about John always feeling guilty about stuff that he did and then he would buy the kids gum and do free deeds to people, I don't understand why he thinks that way. They salted the pig, and the preacher asked mom if she wanted him to do that while she got other stuff ready and that made her uneasy because it was a woman's job, but she let him. I thought it was sad when she went into the other room and pulled out a little box full of stuff that was meaningful to her and she had to pick only some things out of it and burn the rest. They packed the truck, but I have no idea how they fit everything in it. Then Muley showed up to say good bye, and then grandpa came up to the house and told everyone he wasn't going to go. He was so excited to go but then reality set in. I thought it was funny how they got the grandpa "drunk" and into the vehicle to go along. They left two dogs with Muley and everyone else loaded up and left for California. I don't understand why Tom is going if he is on parole and he knows he's not supposed to go.

In chapter 11, I like how it starts out. The way the horse is life when it's working and even when it's done and steps into the barn, it is still alive, but when a tractor is done working, it is simply turned off, dead. It shows how proud the people are of their land they once lived on and how much it meant to them. It then describes the empty house being taken over by nature. I think this symbolizes something but I am not sure what exactly.

In chapter 12, it starts off talking how everyone fleeing the country takes Highway 66 to California. It goes on explaining the hard times people faced just to get out to California. I would be scared if I were them because so many things could happen to the vehicle or the family. When they talked about the 12 people getting a ride from someone who drove them out to California and fed them along the way, was it talking about the Joads'? Maybe in the next chapter we will find out.

In chapter 13, I had some questions come up. One of them is why California, there are other places to go that have alot of job openings. The next one is why is Tom going if he knows he'll get into trouble if he's caught? Why is he taking such risks? The family stopped by a gas station and their dog got ran over. Then they kept going and they pulled up to an old car that people were camping by and they asked if they could camp along side them. The people turned out to be nice people and they let grandpa lay down on their bed. He then had a stroke and died. They decided to bury him there because of their money situation. I wonder what would happen to them if people found grandpa buried there? They put a note with him saying he wasn't murdered but no one can prove that. The preacher said how grandpa died with the land when he had to leave it and it was a good symbolization because it was their lives. They decided to help the Wilson's get to California and it also helped them out so the truck wouldn't be so full and it might actually make it now. Sairy Wilson is sick, and I am predicting she will die soon because at the end of the chapter it said how she wasn't sleeping she just braced her body firmly against the pain.