The Grapes of Wrath Page #7

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THE EXTERIOR OF THE CABIN: The car stops. A strong searchlight

flashes on and goes over the cabin.

MAN:

(in car)

Muley?

(After a pause)

He ain't here.

The car moves on.

TOM, CASY AND MULEY lie flat, listening to the sound of the

car going away.

TOM:

Anybody ever 'tol me I'd be hidin'

out on my own place...!

He whistles, as the scene fades out.

DRIED CORNSTALKS, seen by daylight, fade in. The cornstalks,

their roots blown clean and clear of the earth, lie fallen

in one direction. This is what has happened to farms that

were once rich and green. Then Uncle John's cabin comes into

view. It is just after sunup. The air is filled with country

sounds--a shrill chorus of birds, a dog barking in the

distance. The cabin is of the same general appearance as the

Joad cabin but even smaller. Smoke curls from the chimney.

We see a PLATTER ON A TABLE, inside the cabin. The platter

is filled with sidemeat. Over the scene comes Ma Joad's voice.

MA'S VOICE

Lord, make us thankful for what we

are about to receive, for His sake.

Amen.

As she speaks, a man's scrawny hand reaches forward and sneaks

out a piece of sidemeat.

Five people are seated around the breakfast table on chairs

or boxes. They are Pa, Grampa, Granma, Noah, and Uncle John.

Two children, Ruthie and Winfield, stand to the table, because

there are no more chairs. Their heads are all bent as Ma,

standing with a fork in her hand between the table and the

stove, ends the grace. Heads lift and there is a bustle as

Ma turns back to the frying pork on the stove and the others

truck into their food. Granma points a spiteful finger at

Grampa.

GRANMA:

I seen you!--You et durin' grace!

GRAMPA:

(indignantly)

One little ole dab!--one teeny little

ole dab!

RUTHIE AND WINFIELD, though they are shoveling it in, are

grinning at Grampa.

RUTHIE:

(in a snickering

whisper to Winfield)

Ain't he messy though!

GRANMA:

(viciously)

I seen him!--gobblin' away like an

ole pig!

GRAMPA:

Whyn't you keep your eyes shet durin'

grace, you ole...

NOAH is solemnly studying a handbill. Over his shoulder the

HANDBILL can be read: "800 PICKERS WANTED--WORK IN CALIFORNIA"

We see NOAH AND UNCLE JOHN.

NOAH:

(who is a half-wit)

What's it say again?

JOHN:

Says plenty work in California--

peaches. Eight hundred pickers needed.

Noah frowns at the print.

GRAMPA:

(who has mush on his

mouth)

Wait'll I get to California! Gonna

reach up and pick me an orange

whenever I want it! Or grapes. That

there's somethin' I ain't *never*

had enough of! Gonna get me a whole

bunch a grapes off a bush and I'm

gonna squash 'em all over my face

and just let the juice dreen down

offen my chin!

GRANMA:

(in a feeble bleat)

Puh-raise the Lawd for vittory!

GRAMPA:

(expanding)

Maybe I get me a whole *washtub*

fulla them grapes and jest sit in

'em and scrooge around till they was

gone!

(Sighing)

I shore would like to do that!

RUTHIE AND WINFIELD are snickering. Ruthie has smeared her

face with mush. She pulls Winfield around to see.

RUTHIE:

(whispering)

Look. I'm Grampa!

She begins to slobber in mimicry. Winfield snickers. At that

instant Ma enters, unobserved, and without a word give Ruthie

a fine wallop. Nobody else pays any attention to the slap as

Ma, a bucket in her hand, moves on toward the door. We see

her now in the BACKYARD, first at the door, then moving toward

the well. She stops dead still, her eyes gazing outward.

TOM is looking at the household goods piled around the yard,

to be taken to California. Casy is in the background. Then

Tom looks up and see Ma (out of the scene). His face softens.

He moves toward her.

MA:

(softly--her eyes

closed)

Thank God. Oh thank God.

(In sudden terror as

he approaches)

Tommy, you didn't *bust* out, didya?

You ain't got to hide, have you?

TOM:

No, Ma. I'm paroled. I got my papers.

With a sigh and a smile, and her eyes full of wonder, she

feels his arm. Her fingers touch his cheek, as if she were

blind. Swelling with emotion, Tom bites his lip to control

himself.

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