8-16

Chapter 8 starts out with Tommy and Jim walking to uncle John's house to meet the rest of the Joad family. When they arrive early in the morning they surprise the family with the presence of Tommy. The family informs the two that they are leaving to go to California pretty soon. Jim Casy asks to go with the family so that he can be around new people and watch them and try to learn from their actions. Grandpa informs the family that he will not leave his land and that they can go on without him. They decide to put a sleep medicine in his coffee and make him drink it. After he drinks the coffee and goes to sleep, they load him in the truck. The whole family, who consists of Pa, Ma, Grandma, Grandpa, Tommy, Uncle John, Jim, Al, Ruthie, Winfield, Rose of Sharon, and Noah leave on their way out west. As the family is traveling they stop one night and meet the Wilson family, Ivy and Sairy. As they are setting up camp grandpa becomes sick. The family lays him in the Wilson's tent hoping he will wake up and get better. While in the tent Jim Casy comes in and prays as grandma begs him. While he is praying, granpa has a stroke and dies. The family does not have enough money to pay for a funeral, so they bury him themselves in the field. The Joads and Wilsons decide to travel west together and leave on their expedition. As they are driving, the Joad truck breaks down. Tommy, Al, and Jim decide to stay with the truck and fix it while all the others go ahead to a camp in the Wilson's car. The men find the parts and fix the truck at the nearest garage and then drive into the camp where the rest of the family is waiting. A man at the camp tries to tell the family that there are no good jobs in California, but the owner says he is just a troublemaking liar.