Tom's mother is reluctant about leaving for California but her father convinces her it will be wonderful. He talks about eating grapes, which must have something to do with the title of the novel. Pa Joads goes into town to sell a few useless items that they won't be taking with them on their journey. He comes back with just eighteen dollars. They have a family meeting and decide to let Casy come with them. Tom's older sister and her husband come home and are going with them also. She is expecting a child soon.
Chapter 11 talks about how farmer's left in Oklahoma still plow the dead land as if in a trance due to how much they have lost.
Highway 66 is full of other cars with different tenant farmer's also making their way to California. The narration is of random farmers traveling. They talk about salesmen cheating them and the difficulty of leaving everything behind. They also bring up how it is a struggle to get from one service station to the next without their cars breaking down. Al seems to know a bit about cars and drives the family along the highway. He listens to the engine for any sounds that might indicate a future breakdown. At a gas station, Al is arguing with a pump assistant when their dog is hit by a car and killed. They bury him and head for Oklahoma City. No one in the family has seen a city so huge before. As they leave the city they pull over and camp on the side of the road. Grandpa Joads is starting to get sick. The family meets Ivy Wilson and his wife. They offer their tent to the old man for the night. He dies from a stroke in his sleep. They give him an improvised funeral and decide it would be everyone's benefit to travel with the Wilson's the rest of the way.
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