Гроздья гнева

           Snubnosedmonsters,raisingthedustandstickingtheirsnoutsintoit,straightdownthecountry,acrossthecountry,throughfences,throughdooryards,inandoutofgulliesinstraightlines.Theydidnotrunontheground,butontheirownroadbeds.Theyignoredhillsandgulches,watercourses,fences,houses.

           Themansittingintheironseatdidnotlooklikeaman;gloved,goggled,rubberdustmaskovernoseandmouth,hewasapartofthemonster,arobotintheseat.Thethunderofthecylinderssoundedthroughthecountry,becameonewiththeairandtheearth,sothatearthandairmutteredinsympatheticvibration.Thedrivercouldnotcontrolit—straightacrosscountryitwent,cuttingthroughadozenfarmsandstraightback.Atwitchatthecontrolscouldswervethecat’,butthedriver’shandscouldnottwitchbecausethemonsterthatbuiltthetractors,themonsterthatsentthetractorout,hadsomehowgotintothedriver’shands,intohisbrainandmuscle,hadgoggledhimandmuzzledhim—goggledhismind,muzzledhisspeech,goggledhisperception,muzzledhisprotest.Hecouldnotseethelandasitwas,hecouldnotsmellthelandasitsmelled;hisfeetdidnotstamptheclodsorfeelthewarmthandpoweroftheearth.Hesatinanironseatandsteppedonironpedals.Hecouldnotcheerorbeatorcurseorencouragetheextensionofhispower,andbecauseofthishecouldnotcheerorwhiporcurseorencouragehimself.Hedidnotknoworownortrustorbeseechtheland.Ifaseeddroppeddidnotgerminate,itwasnothing.