Steinbeck returns to the now-familiar newsreel literary technique in this chapter, with a staccato-styled collage of voices speaking of the migrants' experience in picking California cotton. Both the tone and the action prefigure the Joads' experiences picking cotton in the next chapter. The tone is uplifted because men are working again, earning enough to put some meat on the table. They spread their good fortune around, helping each other, sharing information about weighted scales. Their happiness is cautious, however, because they know that winter is coming, and work will end. The Joads, too, will enjoy a momentary respite before their misfortunes pile up again.
Connect with CliffsNotes
