GOW: Chpts. 7, 8, 9

Free write: Jim Casy says, "But when they're all workin' together, not one fella for another fella, but one fella kind of harnessed to the whole shebang — that's right, that's holy" (81). Write about a time when you were "harnessed to the whole shebang," when you were not working or doing for yourself or someone else, but for the larger community.

OR

"How can we live without our lives? How will we know it's us without our past?" (88). How has your past been a framework for who you are today? Think about three specific possessions that have shaped who you are. How might the absence of those objects in your daily affect your sense of self?

Character groups: What have we learned? Who have we met? Share away in groups and then report back to the larger group.

Discussion questions:
1. What is Tom's homecoming like? What does it reveal about the Joad family structure?
2. Three family members have asked Tom Joad if he busted out of jail. What does this reveal about the family? About Tom?

3. At the close of the chapter 9, the family (not the Joads) burns its belongings. Why?

4. What animals have we encountered in these chapters? What do they signify/connote?

5. Looking back at Chpts 1, 3, 5, 7 & 9, what have we learned about life in Oklahoma? These descriptive chapters definitely pack a punch in terms of showing the reader about life on the plains. Summarize each chapter into one or two sentences, focusing on the major themes and ideas expressed.