All over the southwestern states, the owners of the land came onto the land, or more often, someone came for them. All of the owners told their tenants the same thing: "You know the land's getting poorer. The bank has to have profits all the time. It can't wait for next year's crops. One man on a tractor can take the place of twelve or fourteen families. You'll have to go." Then the tractors came over the roads and into the fields. They drove through fences and houses to make space for even larger fields.

Tom Joad and Jim Casy walked quickly along a road that was only wheel marks through a cotton field.

"We'll be at Uncle John's place soon," Tom said. Then they walked along in silence. As the eastern sky grew bright, night birds flew over toward the barns and hollow trees, where they hid from the sun.

The preacher said, "I don't remember John having a family. He was always a lonely man, wasn't he?"

"The loneliest man in the world," Tom said. "But he had a young wife some years ago. They were married four months and she was expecting a baby. Then one night she got a pain in her stomach and she asked John to get a doctor. But he thought it was just a stomachache and gave her some pills. And, well, she died the next day."

"What was it?" Casy asked. "Something she ate?"

"No. Her appendix burst. But John felt terrible about it. He thinks he was wrong not to call the doctor."

"Poor fellow," said the preacher. "Poor lonely fellow."

The preacher walked along with his head down. The earth was brown in the growing light.

"Look," said Tom. "There's Uncle John's place."

The house was a small square box, unpainted and plain. Smoke was rising from the metal chimney. In the yard were chairs and tables and other pieces of furniture.

"Christ, they're ready to go!" Tom said. A high-sided truck stood in the yard, a strange truck. The front was a car, but the top had been cut off in the middle and a bed fitted on.

Tom moved forward and leaned against the truck. His father looked at him, but did not see him. He was busy nailing some wood together to make the truck sides. Tom noticed that he had become older and grayer. He said softly, "Pa."