Chapter twelve of The Grapes of Wrath foreshadows the journey of the Joad family to California. Along the way they meet obstacles such as, car problems, starvation, thirst, and shortage of money. They encounter all this along Route 66, considered the path for refugees and people traveling in distress. "66 is the path of a people in flight, refugees from dust and shrinking land, from the thunder of tractors and shrinking ownership, from the desert's slow northward invasion, from the twisting winds that howl up out of Texas, from the floods that bring no richness to the land and steal what little richness is there. From all of these the people are in flight, and they come into 66 from the tributary side roads, from the wagon tracks and the rutted country roads. 66 is the mother road, the road of flight."
However, the farmers hardships do not just come from their money shortage, starvation, thirst, or car problems or damage. They also suffer from man. The people they meet along the way are not always nice. They cheat them; "... but he tried to steal your four dollars for a busted tire. They call that sound business." Many people did not like the idea of strangers coming in looking for jobs. It was more competition, and hardly any body could afford to be left without a job. Some even tried to turn them back. "'There ain't room enough for you an' me, for your kind an' my kind, for rich and poor together all in one country, for thieves and honest me. Whyn't you go back where you come from?'"
In times of desperation people turned their backs on each other, bringing one another down in order to boost themselves up. This creates the dreary and dark outlook on the book. The idea of "survival of the fittest" creates a cloud of despair and selfishness that looms over the people. Yet in some cases, there was hope. Some people banded together, helping each other along, looking out for one another. This made them stronger. This made the Joad family stronger.
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