The Million Arce March

"Sure, nice to look at, but you cant have none of it... They's a fella, newspaper fella near the coast, got a million acres--" (Steinbeck 281). The Joads and Wilsons meet a father and son who are returning from California because they have been unable to make a living. The father warns them about the hardships they might endure due to the fact they are "Oakies" as well as the fact that there is a rancher who owns a million acres of land; this just shows how harsh the divide can be in these times.

Later in the chapter, as Granma's health continues to deteriorate, a large woman enters the Joads’ tent to pray for Granma’s soul, but Ma sends the woman away because she says that she is too tired for all of it. Afterwards a policeman enters the tent and tells Ma that the family will have to move on. They must pack up and have to leave the Wilsons behind. During the night, police stop the truck for a routine inspection. Ma begs the officer to let them go because Granma is in great need of medical help. When they cross into the valley, Ma tells everyone that Granma has actually been dead since before the inspection.

The difference between knowledge and wisdom is that knowledge is learned through being taught, wisdom is learned through experience. Someone can be wise without being smart, knowledge is more of an academic point of view, while wisdom tends to be much more of a practical ideal. Wisdom is knowing the best way to do something, its almost like thinking outside of the box, it may not be the "by the book" way, but it works just as well and often times better.