Гроздья гнева
Chapter 17
Inthelonghotlight,theyweresilentinthecarsmovingslowlywestward;butatnighttheyintegratedwithanygrouptheyfound.
Thustheychangedtheirsociallife—changedasinthewholeuniverseonlymancanchange.Theywerenotfarmmenanymore,butmigrantmen.Andthethought,theplanning,thelongstaringsilencethathadgoneouttothefields,wentnowtotheroads,tothedistance,totheWest.Thatmanwhosemindhadbeenboundwithacreslivedwithnarrowconcretemiles.Andhisthoughtandhisworrywerenotanymorewithrainfall,withwindanddust,withthethrustofthecrops.Eyeswatchedthetires,earslistenedtotheclatteringmotors,andmindsstruggledwithoil,withgasoline,withthethinningrubberbetweenairandroad.Thenabrokengearwastragedy.Thenwaterintheeveningwastheyearning,andfoodoverthefire.Thenhealthtogoonwastheneedandstrengthtogoon,andspirittogoon.Thewillsthrustwestwardaheadofthem,andfearsthathadonceapprehendeddroughtorfloodnowlingeredwithanythingthatmightstopthewestwardcrawling.
Thecampsbecamefixed—eachashortday’sjourneyfromthelast.
Andontheroadthepanicovercamesomeofthefamilies,sothattheydrovenightandday,stoppedtosleepinthecars,anddroveontotheWest,flyingfromtheroad,flyingfrommovement.AndtheselustedsogreatlytobesettledthattheysettheirfacesintotheWestanddrovetowardit,forcingtheclashingenginesovertheroads.
Butmostofthefamilieschangedandgrewquicklyintothenewlife.
