Chapters 9 and 10 are predominantly the testimony of Etta Heine, Carl's mother, but Guterson reveals more to the reader than to the jurors. In both the present and in flashback, telling information about deals and attitudes is revealed. Etta took the witness stand, providing the information that potentially explained the motive Kabuo may have had for killing Carl. Etta testifies that while Carl junior was away at war, his father died, and Etta sold the farm to Ole Jurgensen.
Etta remembers, during a trial recess, how Zenhichi Miyamoto, Kabuo's father, approached Carl Sr. with an offer to purchase seven acres of land. Etta was opposed from the onset, stating firmly, "'We ain't going to sell.'" Readers soon come to find that although Etta claims to be against the sale because the land will be worth more later, in actuality she didn't like or trust the Japanese man.
On the stand, Etta speaks as more than the deceased's mother: She is the embodiment of the majority of San Piedro. She's speaking for them, the majority who are suspicious of those who are different and feel superior to the Japanese (and the Indians). The differences are both cultural and socioeconomical. The migrants are the working class who are viewed as a group and not as individuals. On San Piedro, these groups were worthy to work the land, not to own it.
