GOW+Ch18+Summary

=Chapter 18 Summary:= The Joads are moving slowly westward. After traveling through the mountains of New Mexico and through the High country of Arizona they finally reach California with high hopes. Although they are now in California they still need to cross the foreboding desert. The men find are river and take a break from their travels to bathe. The term “Okie” is described here; where the term used to mean you were form Oklahoma, now it means you’re a dirty “son-of-a-bitch.” While bathing the Joad men meet and older man and his son in the river. The man tells them they will not be able to find steady work, but continually emphasizes that California is beautifully country. The Joads continue to ignore the warnings about work, but really they have nowhere else to go. Noah decides to leave the family and requests of tom to tell Ma. He will live and fish on the river. He does not believe that his absence will hurt the family, and has already made up his mind. Meanwhile grandma is terribly ill. Since grandpas death she took a turn for the worst. Now she lies in a bed hallucinating. Another woman enters the Joad’s tent and wants to pray for the dying grandma, insisting she is going to die. She requests to have a Holy meeting in the tent, but Ma shoes her away, stating that the old woman is too tired for such an ordeal. Soon after this a policeman enters the tent and tells the family they have got to move on, he is rather rude. When tom relays to Ma that Noah has decided to stay behind, she claims the family is falling apart. The family has got to move on and they are forced to leave the Wilson’s behind as Sairy’s health has taken a bad turn and Ivy insists that the Joads move on. The tuck is stopped for inspection by yet another police officer and Ma pleads with him to let them go, saying that grandma is very ill and needs medicine. After they move on Ma tells the family that Grandma has been dead since before the inspection. Ma stays with Grandmas body for the rest of the night in the back of the truck.