Chapters 21-26

                 This blog post ties very nicely into the previous blog post because they share themes. Casy’s story is another example of strength in numbers. He tells Tom a story about prison life where the men received beans that were spoiled and no longer edible. One man started shouting and the rest joined in and the guards eventually gave in and the men received edible food. Casy knows that need for life trumps everything especially when hope and material wealth are at an all time low.

                Demonstrations of strength in numbers have become more frequent in these last chapters. Farmers have unionized and their methods have gotten more complex. Now the corrupt police force and large-business farmers feel more threatened. The moral standards are becoming increasingly low. The police would not have resorted to wrongfully killing Casy if it was not for the fact that unions were beginning to scare them. The numbers of the homeless are growing and they are getting stronger. They are learning how to fight their fate.

                We can understand what Casy has to say but Tom is not getting the big picture yet and I am not sure if I understand why. He travels with his mother who seems to always have hope. She grasps the idea of togetherness quite well and I guess it just has not connected with Tom yet. I predict it will soon because Ma Joad demonstrates her understanding of strength yet again when she does not let him leave after he kills a police officer.