Contents
Chapter 2
Overview
A truck driver, wary of company rules, gives a ride to Tom Joad outside a roadside diner. Through tense small talk, Tom reveals he has just been paroled from McAlester after a homicide conviction and is heading to his family’s place. The scene establishes Tom’s blunt pragmatism and the economic pressures facing workers.
Summary
At a quiet roadside restaurant beside a new Oklahoma City transport truck, a truck driver chats idly with a waitress. Outside, a dust-coated man with new, ill-fitting clothes—Tom Joad—rests on the truck’s running board, eyeing a No Riders sticker before asking for a lift.
The driver hesitates, balancing company rules and his desire to be seen as a “good guy.” He agrees if Tom keeps out of sight until they pass a bend. Tom climbs in, and the driver subtly interrogates him—reading his new clothes and callused hands, speculating about farm losses and itinerant work.
The driver fills the silence with talk of trucking life, ambitions, and self-improvement schemes, while Tom remains guarded, then teasing. Pressed without being asked outright, Tom disarms the driver by stating his name—Tom Joad—and later confronting the man’s curiosity.
Tom reveals he has been in McAlester State Penitentiary for four years on a seven-year sentence for homicide, just released on parole with the clothes he’s wearing. He’s heading to his father’s place and refuses to hide his past, observing he can “smell a question” from far off.
When they reach a dirt road turnoff, the truck stops. Tom thanks the driver for the lift, reiterates his openness about his record, and sets out down the side road toward home. The driver, unsettled yet sympathetic, drives on.
Who Appears
- Tom JoadRecently paroled from McAlester for homicide; candid, self-possessed hitchhiker heading to his family’s farm.
- Truck driverCompany driver who breaks No Riders policy; nosy yet kind, chats about work and aspirations.
- WaitressRoadside diner server engaged in small talk with the driver before he departs.