Book overview
The Four Winds, by Kristin Hannah, was just published on February 2, 2020. Elsa is a mother trying to raise two kids on a Texas farm while they observe the lands drying out and as relentless dust storms wreak havoc on everything in their path. They go out for greener pastures and better work in the West all around them, but what truly waits there is at best uncertain.
The Big Alone, Kristin Hannah’s most recent book, was about a family navigating the harsh Alaskan Arctic. Hannah has written yet another tale of survival with The Four Winds, this time focusing on a Great Plains family enduring the hardships of famine and poverty during the Dust Bowl in the years after the Great Depression.
Both of these books are about survival, but The Four Winds is the one I’d choose if you can’t decide between the two. It’s been a while since I read The Great Alone, but I seem to remember finding it a little dismal and favoring largely the first few chapters before the book really gets going.
While the characters in The Four Winds experience problems as well, I found it more inspiring and interesting to read about their pioneering spirit and tenacity. The American Dream, tenacity, love of one’s family and of oneself, and the struggle to survive are all themes in this book.
The fact that a mother-daughter relationship is at the center of the narrative also struck me as charming. Elsa and Loreda, the book’s two protagonists, are both vividly portrayed and endearing people. Their complicated relationship challenges you to consider your own relationships as it grows and changes during the course of the novel.
Including tidbits of real information from the eras it covers, The Four Winds is also a true historical fiction book. The majority of the information presented is likely information you already know from history class, but having it set in the setting of an engaging narrative brought a time period I’ve never given much thought to to life.
All things considered, The Four Winds, like Hannah’s other books, is largely plot-driven, so I wouldn’t suggest it to anyone trying to read literary fiction. This does not imply that the book lacks substance; rather, it simply means that it is not that kind of book.
The pessimistic half of me believes that this book is unduly optimistic about the goodness of strangers, and several of the story developments depend on people simply being in the right place at the right time. It would have been nice if Elsa had discovered a way to value herself independently of a man’s opinion of her. Nonetheless, I believe it’s worthwhile to suspend your skepticism and judgment in order to simply sit back and take in this expansive, touching, and compelling historical drama.
Introduction
A mother and her daughter are at the center of the survival narrative in the historical fiction book The Four Winds. I believe you will enjoy this book if you enjoy historical fiction in general or Kristin Hannah in particular. Due to its accessibility and reasonably quick pacing, I also predict that this will be well received by book clubs.
While reading it, it also occurred to me that, given the compelling and nuanced mother-daughter relationship shown in the book, it may make a terrific mother’s day gift or a good book to share with your mother if you’re searching for a way to connect with her virtually. It’s a fantastic book to debate, and if you’re looking for discussion questions, I’ve included some below.
If you’re on the fence about it, I’d suggest giving it a try because it’s not a difficult read.
Chapter 1
Elsinore “Elsa” Wolcott will turn 25 tomorrow in the Texas Panhandle community of Dalhart. Times are excellent in this area’s economy. Farmers like her father have benefited from bumper crops and the high demand for wheat and corn. Elsa’s grandfather, Walter, was a Texas Ranger, and the Wolcott family has lived in Texas for three generations.
Elsa worries about becoming a spinster because most women get married by the time they are 20. Elsa is less lovely than her gorgeous younger sisters, Charlotte and Suzanna, and is too slender, too tall (six feet tall!) (both married). She worries that after Maria, their housekeeper, retires, she’ll be left to take care of her parents while living with them. contrasted with her aspirations of going to college, becoming a writer, meeting a husband, and having kids.
Elsa tells her parents calmly that she plans to go to college and become a writer, but her father (Eugene Wolcott) calls her “hysterical,” so Elsa decides to drop the subject. Elsa’s studies were interrupted when she was 14 due to rheumatic sickness. Instead, she has been reading novels in her room.
When Elsa musters the courage to discuss the possibility of attending college with her father, she is reading Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence at the time. Many of the characters in The Age of Innocence sacrifice their freedoms and heart desires to their disadvantage, and they regret it in the end. The characters follow expectations, even when the results are manifestly bad (such as staying in a marriage with a cheating husband, since divorce is improper).
After that, Elsa chooses Memoirs of a Lady of Pleasure, a book she adores. The fact that it is an erotic novel suggests that Elsa has a wilder, freer side to her that yearns for satisfaction.
Elsa is on her way to the library when Mr. Hurst, a local businessman who owns a number of establishments, stops her. Elsa chooses to buy the fresh shipment of crimson silk for herself despite his suggestion that her sisters might be interested in it. Elsa tells herself to “be bold” after arriving home and then cuts her hair into a chin-length haircut. Her mother, Minerva Wolcott, is appalled when she sees it.
Elsa feels imprisoned by how people view and perceive her. It is obvious that everyone thinks of Elsa as frail, weak, and spinster-like, from her mother treating her like an invalid to Mr. Hurst never conceiving that Elsa would wish to wear red silk. Yet, Elsa creates a life of passionate love, travels, and more for herself.
She claims that her grandfather was always on her side, thus it’s probable that his disappearance has increased her frustration and restlessness because she is now without a support system.
She probably decided to cut her hair since it loudly signals to everyone else that they should view her differently than they did previously. The fact that it’s a bob—a more contemporary haircut—seems to suggest that she intends to live a more contemporary life. She justifies it to her mother in an overly simplistic way, saying that she “simply wanted to be lovely,” probably because she has previously tried to express her ambitions and dreams to her and has failed, or perhaps because she hasn’t fully figured out how to do so. Her deeds, however, speak for themselves.
Chapter 2
Elsa remains in her room after getting her hair chopped. She is motivated to create a daringly contemporary garment out of her red fabric. She confidently walks down the stairs while wearing her clothes and makeup. She insists on wearing it out, despite her father calling it a “harlot outfit” when he sees her. Sadly, Frank at the local speakeasy claims that her father wouldn’t allow him to admit her.
Instead, Elsa meets Raffaello “Rafe” Martinelli, a tall stranger with whom she flirts brashly. He claims to be from Lonesome Tree, which is located thirty miles distant. He gives her a ride in his vehicle and they take it to a barn at a deserted farm. They talk about wanting more out of life while lying on quilts in the truck’s rear bay while gazing at the stars. They begin to kiss and have sex shortly after, but he suddenly quickly announces he needs to get her home.
Rafe wants to “love” her, but Elsa thinks he only means that they want to have sex. Although you may claim that he was being dishonest, the fact that he had just asked her if she wanted to do more than simply kiss suggests that there was a genuine misunderstanding.
Her father is enraged when she gets home. He strikes her in the jaw, bruising her. The following day, her mother doesn’t show any compassion. Elsa’s mother then takes the red dress away from her when she reminds Elsa that she cannot be married and advises her to accept her fate in life.
Elsa lies when her mother asks if she’s “still a good girl” (if she’s still virgin). Even so, even though nobody else is aware that Elsa had sex, last night’s stories about it are enough to damage her reputation.
Chapter 3
Elsa’s bruise had healed by July 4th, but she is now even more restless than before. Elsa and her dad go to a party at Dalhart Grange Hall. When she notices that her sisters are donning a scarf and a shirt made of the same material as her red silk outfit, she becomes furious. She also encounters Rafe at the party, who appears uneasy because he is with his wife, Gia Composto. However, they arrange to meet that evening at midnight.
Elsa imagines herself as The Lady of Shalott, a reference to the title heroine in Lord Alfred Tennyson’s lyric poem of the same name, when she is restless. It concerns a woman who is imprisoned in a tower close to Camelot. Elsa is furious when she arrives at the celebration and sees her sister dressed in red silk. It was bad enough that Elsa tried to take care of herself and boost her self-confidence just to have her mother take it away. Elsa, however, takes offense to the fact that it was used to create clothing for her sisters.
Hannah also includes a number of historical anecdotes. Several immigrants from Russia, Germany, Italy, and Ireland are present at the party, and the males chat about wanting electricity. Notwithstanding Prohibition regulations, there is still a lot of alcohol available; in rural regions, there is less governmental control and less tolerance for governmental supervision.
At the same barn, Elsa and Rafe once more engage in sexual activity. Rafe then informs her that he will be departing for college in August. He is not enthusiastic about it and would like to learn by doing.
Rafe, who feels college is pointless, is compelled to attend. In contrast to Elsa, who as a woman would fervently appreciate the chance to go but is unable to do so, he takes his opportunity for granted.
Chapter 4
Elsa realizes she is pregnant in the middle of August. When Elsa’s mother notices that she is frequently vomiting up, she is the one to advise it. Elsa is compelled to reveal who “ruined” her when her father learns the truth. Afterwards they go for the Martinelli farm after telling her to pack her bags. There, Elsa’s father Eugene informs Rafe’s father Tony Martinelli of her pregnancy. He then excommunicates Elsa and departs.
Although Rafe’s mother, Rose Martinelli, initially objects, Tony swiftly determines that Rafe must wed Elsa. Rose insists that Elsa become a Catholic. Elsa, meanwhile, seeks Rose’s assurance that the baby would be adored so that it will grow up feeling loved. Rose concurs.
Since she doesn’t know how any of it works and the fiction books she reads don’t really explain the technical specifics of what occurs after sex or the circumstances under which someone gets pregnant, Elsa is truly astonished to be pregnant.
Elsa feels bad about how becoming pregnant ruined Rafe’s life. It demonstrates how she has internalized the misogyny she is exposed to daily. Elsa believes it is her “fault” despite the fact that both Rafe and she bear responsibility for their actions.
Hannah offers an insight into the community’s two various social strata. One of the more prosperous guys in the area is Eugene Wolcotts. They are a well-established, third-generation family. The Martinellis are immigrants in the meantime. On credit, they buy goods from Eugene. In order to provide Rafe with a life that is superior to their own, the Martinellis have had to make sacrifices.
Chapter 5
When Rose assists Elsa with moving in, Rafe makes Elsa a promise that he will make an effort to be a decent husband. The following morning, Elsa awakens at nine only to discover that everyone else has already begun their workday. Tony reveals that he also makes wine, a talent he learned from his ancestors in Sicily, and that they are bordered by wheat farms. Rose plans to teach Elsa how to cook in the interim.
Elsa is shocked to learn that the Martinellis don’t have indoor plumbing as she settles in. Also, Tony describes how he and his wife began with just 17 dollars and are now living what he views as a decent life. Rafe had previously told Elsa about his parents’ struggles to establish a home in the area, but now Elsa is also experiencing the less enviable way of life.
It’s simple to imagine Elsa as a completely pitiful figure at the book’s beginning—unloved and destined for spinsterhood. The way Hannah has organized this story, however, compels the reader to consider the things that Elsa probably also took for granted. Elsa may have had real complaints in the past, but it appears that she was also likely ignorant about the challenges faced by those living in other countries.
Rafe and Elsa quickly exchange rings and have an unofficial wedding. Despite having trouble learning to cook, Elsa faithfully follows through on her conversion as promised. She persists, though, and ultimately gets better. Even more fervently, she begins to feel as though she belongs, and she begins to picture a time when her kids are content there. Rafe frequently drinks, but he still fantasizes about living in a big city somewhere else.
Winter arrives and departs. Elsa gives birth to a baby girl in February, whom they name Loreda (after her grandfather Walter who was born in Loredo). A US dime with two wheat stalks on it that Tony discovered in Italy before they departed is displayed to Elsa by Rose. They view it as a good luck charm that guided them to their destiny.
Rafe is still unwilling to accept the concept of staying at the farm, while Elsa is able to settle in there. He still yearns for a life in the city, and his discontentment with it probably motivates him to drink.
Chapter 6
Elsa enters town on Milo, her horse. As is increasingly common, her clothing is created from used flour sacks. The Great Depression and a protracted drought over the past five years have made for difficult times. Many businesses in the area are closed, and hungry kids wait in line at the church for meals. Despite the lifting of Prohibition, not many people had access to alcohol.
Rafe is passed out in the Silo Saloon when Elsa arrives there. Afterwards, Elsa had two more children, but one of them passed away three years ago. Elsa observes that Lorenzo’s death hadn’t “broken” him in the same way that starvation and poverty had. While Rafe drinks away the money they don’t have, Loreda (12) and their second son Anthony (“Ant”), who is seven, require new shoes.
At age 12, Loreda is gloomy and irate. She views her mother as being devoid of joy who is always harping on the importance of conserving money. Loreda envisions herself leaving this place for something more significant, such as accompanying her father to Hollywood. The lone teacher in the community is Nicole Buslik, who teaches Loreda. Stella Devereaux is the friend Loreda values the most.
Ant, Loreda, Rafe, and Elsa travel to the auction house together. They cross paths with Will Bunting, another farmer, who informs them that the bank has foreclosed on his property and that he is heading to California in search of employment and new prospects. Rafe informs Loreda that his parents and Elsa would never want to leave, and Loreda then daydreams about the life they could have there. Reassuring her that it will rain, he says.
“It was only possible to live without love when you’d never known it,” Elsa observes. She remembers how it felt to be that close and is saddened by Loreda’s withdrawal and rejection of her. She also witnessed Rafe’s early attempts to find happiness in their marriage, but she also saw him give up when faced with hardship. Rafe claims that he “made a lousy choice” that constrained his alternatives when speaking to Loreda. He finally laments how his life ended out despite his best attempts.
Loreda’s perspective, meanwhile, is influenced by the moment she lives in. She has mostly only experienced a life of drought and hardship in recent years. Also, she perceives her mother as depressed and anxious due to the challenging times. She is unaware that her mother’s behavior is only temporary and driven by necessity. She assumes that even when he stays silent, her father agrees with her on everything, failing to recognize that his opinions are likely more nuanced and involved than hers.
Chapter 7
Elsa absorbed the Martinelli family’s affection for this place, but she observes that Loreda has taken on her father’s perspective. Rafe has given Loreda visions of exotic locales, and he vents to her about the hardships of farm life. Loreda is currently dissatisfied there as a result.
Elsa notices an impending dust storm as she works on her chores. Rafe and Elsa rush inside as the wind howls and the walls tremble. Ant and Loreda are hiding at the schoolhouse in the meantime. Mrs. Buslik then leads them outside. Together with Stella and Sophia, Loreda and Ant move toward the town. To escort them home, Elsa comes riding up.
The ground nearby Loreda suddenly rips open from the dryness and heat while she works on the farm, revealing a chasm.
Hannah contrasts how drastically different Elsa and Loreda see things by alternating between their points of view. Like Loreda, Elsa was once a dreamer who felt stuck, but she learned that life is hard and evolved into a survivor. Loreda, on the other hand, now views Elsa as the one who is attempting to force her into a life that she does not desire, and as a result, she resents her mother and her mother’s love for her. She feels suffocated by her mother’s love. She is eager to attribute all of her problems—including her own unhappiness and her father’s—on her mother.
Chapter 8
Elsa remembers how she once brought Loreda to her parents’ house as an infant in the hopes that they would accept her back but they had shut the door in her face. Elsa is saddened as she looks out at all the dead vegetation surrounding her. She never saw them again, but she still feels their absence and the knowledge that they didn’t love her.
Elsa is comforted by Rose as she considers how Loreda doesn’t love her either. Elsa and Rose have a close relationship and Rose has been a devoted mother figure for Elsa. Later, Elsa witnesses Rafe sobbing as he laments the difficulties in his life.
Rafe is not soothed by Elsa’s response when he wonders how she manages to remain strong—she answers it’s because of the kids. Elsa is motivated by her survival instincts, thus the notion that someone needs her and that she is doing out of need is sufficient to spur her on.
Rafe, on the other hand, needs the possibility of something more aspirational to keep going forward because he is someone who is motivated by dreams and optimism. He finds it demoralizing to just act out of necessity and duty.
The plants continue to wither throughout September since the heat won’t abate, with highs around 115. Elsa is concerned about how they’ll feed the animals. In a tiny garden next to the kitchen window, she takes care of a flower. In the meantime, Rafe keeps distance from Elsa.
Elsa’s hope is symbolized by this tiny blossom. It brings her comfort, and it demonstrates her desire to produce beauty and hope even in a grave situation, so she chooses to water and take care of it when everything else is falling apart.
Next up is the Pioneer Days celebration, a once-frenzied and patriotic festival. Now it’s more streamlined and everyone wears shabby clothes, yet they still show up. Stella informs Loreda at the party that the town bank is closing and that she and her family will also be departing.
Chapter 9
Stella’s announcement has crushed Loreda. When Loreda steps outside, she sees Rafe sobbing. They discuss how everyone is emigrating and how they might perish out here. In order to help them deal with the dust storms, the Red Cross also donates gas masks to them. The following morning, Elsa discovers Rafe at the family cemetery standing in front of their son’s gravestone. Rafe informs Elsa that he wants to depart in order to look for employment in California. In addition to his parents, Elsa claims that they don’t have any money for gas or even shoes if they wanted to walk. Anger proposes abandoning his parents.
Elsa then considers informing Rafe that if he truly felt compelled to leave, she would give it some thought. She seeks him out at night to express her desire to depart, but Rafe concurs that it would not be practical for them all to leave. They get intimate. Rafe is missing the following morning.
Rafe wishes they could all depart together, but he is aware that his parents will never do so. He learns through Elsa’s talk that the children will never be able to accompany him. They would probably have to trek a thousand miles and don’t have adequate footwear. On his last day, he realizes that leaving alone could be the best course of action.
Elsa rushes to the railway station, where Mr. McElvaine, the attendant, reluctantly acknowledges that her husband lacked the funds to purchase a ticket. Rafe, however, jumped a train and only left a message behind. Elsa is asked not to look for him in a brief note. She first tells Rose and Tony what occurred when she gets home, and they are horrified. She then tells the children. While Ant sobs and cries, Loreda screams and sobs.
Elsa debates her response to the children. She considers telling children that their father left to look for work to make money, but she knows she won’t be able to explain why when the money stops flowing in. She also determines that it will be less upsetting for them to comprehend what happened now. The alternative is to give them false hope that he will return, only for them to painfully and gradually come to terms with the fact that he won’t be. Elsa ultimately decides to speak the truth to them.
Elsa then tries to console Loreda, but she is unyielding in her resistance. She holds her mother responsible for his departure. Loreda elopes. A dust storm follows it. Elsa rushes inside to check for the kids, but Ant informs her that Loreda has fled. Indeed, Loreda has left a message stating that she has gone in search of Rafe. Elsa sets out in search of Loreda. Bruno, their horse, runs into the storm as she goes to the stable to get the truck. Elsa notices that Loreda is at the train station in town, so they seek refuge in the depot.
Rafe only left one piece of clothing behind that night, a blue chambray shirt, which Elsa takes out. She makes the choice to use it as a scarf. She discovers Bruno is dead outside. She considers that her parents were correct when they declared that no man would be able to love her as she lies in bed thinking about what they had said.
Elsa doesn’t get out of bed the following morning because she is too depressed. Loreda has never witnessed her mother in this manner. On some level, Loreda realizes that their father’s departure wasn’t entirely her mother’s responsibility, but the idea that he would abandon her (Loreda) makes her feel helpless. Rose tries to explain to Loreda that Elsa’s heart is broken and that Rafe was stupid and filled Loreda’s mind with “fluff” when she finds Elsa in bed. Rose counsels Loreda to one day find a trustworthy man, but Loreda isn’t interested in hearing it.
Elsa is consoled by Rose when Loreda departs. Rosa freely acknowledges that she spoilt Rafe because she was so happy to have him alive after losing three children before him. Although Elsa’s parents loved her too little, she claims that she loved her kid too much.
Rosa says that she thinks Ant will someday attend college and that Loreda needs to be taught to settle down as she comforts Elsa. Rosa expresses doubt because Loreda is a girl when Elsa objects and says she wants Loreda to attend college. That proves that even someone as kind and sincere as Rosa is capable of harboring antiquated beliefs and biases based on their gender. Rosa isn’t necessarily intelligent or right about everything, even though she is in some situations. I
Rosa, on the other hand, is a very human character having both moments of tremendous insight and other moments of erroneous reasoning. It can be tempting for writers to create characters, especially older or wiser ones, who are always right, but it is much more realistic to show them to have flaws.
Chapter 10
Snow falls in November, giving people hope for impending rain. But, the weather is still chilly, and the town’s supply of firewood is becoming scarce due to the withering trees. Elsa cuts apart the former pig pen so it may be used as firewood.
As the tough times worsen, we observe how the family’s resources are depleting, as when Elsa stops using candles at night. The final pig was butchered in earlier chapters, and now we find that the pig cage is being utilized to store firewood.
As Tony has not told them the humiliating truth that Rafe abandoned them, another family at church asks if Rafe has found work. Messages encouraging people to join family members who have relocated to the West in search of employment have been received all around. Elsa misses Rafe despite being aware of the practical reasons why the plan was unworkable. Part of her wishes she had simply agreed to travel to California.
There will be a town meeting about potential government support in late December. The family stops at the store before traveling to the city for the meeting. Although Mr. Pavlov, who owns the local store, used to be the richest person in town, he is currently having financial difficulties. Yet as a gesture of goodwill, he offers the Martinelli family some complimentary licorice for the kids.
The historic schoolhouse serves as the venue for the meeting. Hugh Bennett, a representative of the US Conservation Corps, introduces himself. He warns the farmers that they must change their farming practices to incorporate soil conservation if they want to live. He claims that the topsoil was being held in place by the grass they had removed. The earth dried out and the topsoil flew away when the drought arrived. Farmers begin to leave when he informs them that they are to blame for the current predicament.
Bennett goes on to explain that farmers will be compensated to plant grass instead of crops the next year. For animals, they will also receive payment of sixteen dollars per head. Tony is outraged at the notion that farmers won’t cultivate crops. Others move out like the Martinellis do.
While the drought in the 1930s was the primary cause of the dust bowl, the erosion of topsoil also played a significant role in the swirling dust storms that were characteristic of that era. This process also stripped valuable soil from the lands, which decreased their productivity.
One evening, Loreda admits that she has treated Elsa badly since Rafe left by calling her a “crumb” (a jerk). Elsa claims that there are no jobs available despite Loreda’s willingness to find one to help out. Then Loreda offers that they relocate to the West in the spring, but Elsa again declines. She claims that although they have food and shelter here, leaving is not a guarantee that they would find employment as half the population is unemployed. Elsa chooses to give Loreda Rafe’s shirt, which she has been using as a scarf, after observing her distraught.
Winter is finally done, and Loreda turns 13 the first week of March. The rain finally arrives as they enjoy the springtime sunshine. The family is ecstatic. Later evening, as they celebrate Loreda and Rain’s birthdays, Rose distributes the family’s lucky coin for everyone to write their wishes on (on New Years, birthdays and when planting season comes). But Loreda rejects it, claiming that because it failed to keep their family together, she no longer believes in it. Rose promises Loreda that she will soon begin to believe again.
The following morning, Elsa awakens with a fresh sense of optimism as Tony surveys the fresh vegetation emerging from the field.
The family’s spirits start to dwindle in the middle of March when there are eight nonstop days of temperatures above 100 degrees. Elsa does the washing despite the oppressive heat and the apparent futility of it all given how dusty everything gets. They regret not laying pipe earlier as they carry water from the well. The soap they intend to sell is being made with Loreda’s hesitant assistance.
Laundry day is pointless, as Elsa is aware. Elsa, however, is aware that she must be a good role model for her children (to never give up), and she doesn’t want the neighbors to pass by and possibly see her filthy children. In the end, Elsa is aware that giving up and acknowledging loss would damage her children’s morale and send the message that even she sees no hope.
They notice a disturbance coming from the stable, which turns out to be the dying horse, Milo. As the horse is in pain, Tony says that it must be shot, but he can’t help but feel depressed as he considers how the farm failed them. After reflecting on her love for Milo, Loreda grabs the gun and shoots him. They observe a second dust storm approaching them later.
Despite her love for Milo, Loreda realizes how much anguish he is in and decides that it would be better for him to pass away. She determines that she must be the one to carry out the task when she notices her grandfather hesitate, so she grabs the rifle. This episode makes a suggestion that Loreda possesses a strength that hasn’t been completely explored.
The week-long dust storms are in full swing. Ant feels weak, has a cough, and is soon unable to get out of bed even with the gas mask. To offer him some milk, Elsa tries to milk the cow, but even the milk is murky. Elsa muses that the cows will probably perish from breathing in so much dirt. Tony comforts her by reassuring her that at least they will receive compensation from the government.
Chapter 11
Although the dust storm has subsided, Ant now has a fever. He still has a severe cough, and the dust has made his eyes red. She wants to take him to Doc Rheinhart because of how poorly he is doing, but she realizes they don’t have a horse. As an alternative, she places him in a wheelbarrow and pushes him the two miles towards town. For a mile, Elsa pushes the wheelbarrow resolutely in hopes that the rest of the family will eventually catch up. They seize control, and they all move into the town together.
Ant is offered a bed that became available that morning in the improvised hospital that has been built up there (meaning that someone else had died). The physician provides an immediate diagnosis of severe silicosis, a lung condition in which silica (found in prairie dust) inhalation tears the air sacs in the lungs, resulting in “dust pneumonia.” There isn’t room for guests, but Elsa wishes she could remain. The doctor advises leaving Ant at the hospital for at least a week or two, but he also advises that, if they are serious about saving Ant, they should relocate to a location with cleaner air, such as somewhere other than Texas.
Loreda is agitated at home because she is confused about what is happening. Since the adults don’t want to inform her, she assumes that Ant is at worst dying. At last, Elsa sits Loreda down and informs her that they would be leaving Texas as soon as Ant is feeling better.
Hannah uses Loreda’s assumption that Ant’s diagnosis is bad to show how children may conjure up terrible scenarios if they suspect that anything is being withheld from them or if they feel that something is wrong but are unsure of the specifics.
The family gathers some live plants and their roots and begins packing up their belongings. They also prepare what food they can. The sad news that the bank is getting ready to foreclose on 160 acres of their land unless they can come up with some type of payment to delay them is delivered by Mr. Gerald, their banker, as they are at work. The land will be sold at auction on April 16 according to Mr. Gerald.
After being dropped off ten days ago, Ant is now feeling better. Elsa sheds tears of joy. She informs Ant that they would take him back home in a couple of days before traveling to California. Elsa brings the tiny flower she had once put inside and burys it next to Lorenzo’s grave. The blossom instantly begins to sag.
Elsa’s expectations for this area and the land have been definitively dashed when she digs up her flower, causing it to droop down in the ground.
Later, a sizable flock of birds flies by, signaling the arrival of a raging dust storm. Together with the rest of the family, Elsa dashes inside. Loreda is given the gas mask, and they both hide in the shadows beneath a sheet draped over a table. She struggles to unlock the front door as she awakens to find that everything outside is covered in dark filth.
Elsa makes the decision to leave right now while everyone is still alive. They cram the car with as much as they can. Elsa recalls leaving her parents’ home and having little time to pack before setting out on her own. Tony and Rose proclaim that they will not be leaving just before they leave. Although they are aware that Elsa must depart, they intend to remain and accept the government’s offer to plant grass on the property as part of the coordinated effort needed to restore the Great Plains. She is given custody of their fortunate coin.
Elsa is reluctant to travel by herself, but Rose reassures her that she is the only person the kids will need. The physician in the hospital forewarns Art that it may take a year for him to fully heal and that he may get asthma in the future. Elsa notices that Art doesn’t have any shoes because they broke as he approaches them, and they then go on an unknown future. We discover that the severe dust storm occurred on April 14, 1935, a day that the media dubbed “Black Sunday.”
Even though Elsa needs to leave, Tony and Rose will be hesitant to part ways with them, so they will act as though they are going with them until the very last minute. By handing her the penny, they are entrusting her with their hopes and ambitions as she embarks on a journey to start a new life with their grandkids.
Chapter 12
Elsa is unsure of her capacity to withstand the obstacles in her path while traveling. She worries about how she will find work and how, even with a job, she will take care of her kids. According to Loreda, they obtained the majority of the government funds via Tony and Rose. Loreda adds that Grandfather Tony has been teaching her how to hunt and fill the radiator with water, among other things. She believes they were aware all along that they wouldn’t be traveling with them. They also provided a compass to Loreda. They remind Ant of the Explorer’s Club.
Elsa notices a foreclosure notice on the Wolcott home’s door as they travel through Dalhart, and the family company is boarded up. Men who might be Rafe are on the lookout for by Loreda. Elsa is warned by the gas station worker not to leave her cash in her handbag because there is a “bad element” outside while she is stopping for gas. Elsa understands she needs to use extra caution.
An someone tries to steal their gas when they stop for the night and demands Elsa’s money when she spots him. He is scared away by Loreda’s shotgun. Elsa realizes that there was a lot about their journey that she hadn’t foreseen, including the fact that her children would lose their innocence.
The Mojave Desert is located ahead as they continue to go west at this point. She is concerned about the performance of the car engine in those circumstances and what will happen if it breaks down.
Whether as a consequence of a combination of necessity, hope for moving to the West or finding her father, witnessing her mother’s suffering, maturity, or the awareness that her mother and brother are all she has left, Loreda now appears to adopt a more cooperative and helpful attitude.
But, Loreda also possesses an unwavering boldness that only gets stronger, as evidenced by her capacity to frighten the assailant away. While Elsa has seen more setbacks, which have made her more unsure and dubious of what lies ahead, one could say that Loreda is able to be courageous because her mother has shielded her.
Elsa arrives at a gas station just in time to see a neighboring hunger riot as a mob assaults a grocery shop owned by the town mayor. They observe a sign warning tourists that they must carry water with them from that point on as they proceed into the desert.
The engine still overheats while driving through the desert at night to escape the heat. She waits for it to cool before adding water as directed. Thank goodness, it restarts. She continues to drive up a mountain until she is too exhausted to do so. Loreda enthusiastically points to the scene of lush farmlands when she first awakes.
She keeps going as she navigates the San Joaquin Valley’s twisting mountain roads while being encircled by beautiful vegetation. Elsa pulls over and queries the children about their destination. She pulls into a gas station, but the man treats her poorly because she looks unclean from days of driving and camping.
Chapter 13
Elsa reflects on her own father’s prejudices toward people from other origins after having a bad experience with a man who assumes they are poor. She vows to better parent her children.
Elsa goes to ask about a lovely house after spotting it. But, the woman advises that she go when she offers to pay part now and part when she finds employment. Also, the woman claims they don’t rent to “Okies,” directing the woman to a campground instead.
Elsa doesn’t want to go around and waste gas since they only have $27 left despite the fact that the campground is packed with tents and resembles a shantytown. She decides to spend the night there instead. They spoke with Jeb Dewey and wife Jean, a couple who have been residing there with their children for nine months. Jeb notes that while his family works on the farms growing cotton, there is no labor available in the winter. They also clarify why these farms are held by big corporations rather than by small farmers. As they would starve if they went to school, his children also harvest cotton instead.
Elsa objects to Jeb’s offer to seek assistance at the relief office. The following day, Elsa visits a house to inquire. She is given a firm warning not to speak unless she is spoken to and is offered some work scrubbing floors.
Elsa receives horrible treatment in California since it is considered that she is uneducated and that she is an Okie or someone who looks like one. People from Oklahoma or similar regions (such as Texas) were referred to as “Okies,” but they were generally considered to be poor economic refugees.
When Loreda awakens, her mother is no longer there. Instead, Jean informs her that Elsa looked for employment. When Loreda mentions moving to Hollywood, Jean gently advises Loreda that she needs to get past her immature ideas. In order to assist her mother, she tells Loreda to go boil some water and do the laundry. When Ant awakens, Loreda instructs him to pitch in as well.
Elsa spends the day cleaning and taking care of other domestic duties. The woman treats her rudely and then offers her only 40 cents after she has worked for 10 hours. Elsa is shocked by the low wage and promises to look for better paid work the next day. Loreda is terrified and furious when she returns home and informs her that they must remain at the camp for the time being, but there is no other choice. Elsa writes Tony and Rose a positive letter that evening to let them know they succeeded.
Elsa gets the kids ready for school a mile distant the following day. She urges Elsa once again to sign up for relief just in case after Jean gives her a pair of shoes to give to Ant. The other students in the school are dressed in fresh, clean attire. The Martinelli children are brought into class despite the fact that the staff and other students are fully aware of how poorly kept they are.
Chapter 14
Elsa is advised at the state relief office that she will become eligible for assistance after establishing residency, thus after a year (the clock starts the day she signs up). The attendant directs her to the food line for assistance in the meanwhile.
Elsa first refuses to join up because she feels too proud to require relief, but Jean and Jeb persuade her to do so because she must wait a year from the date she signs up. Hence, if she doesn’t sign up now, it might already be too late when she truly needs it. Even after signing up, she chooses not to wait in the food line because she still finds it difficult to imagine herself as one of those people.
Similar to Loreda, Elsa is also repulsed by the camp and its inhabitants until she realizes she will have to become one of them. They are all having to change their perceptions of both themselves and those who have experienced adversity. Although they are aware that they are hard-working people with sad situations, others regard them like criminals.
When Elsa picks up her children from school, she learns that Loreda’s meal was made fun of and that Ant got into a fight after being punched by another child. Returning at the camp, Jean meets Midge from Kansas and Nadine from South Carolina and introduces them to Elsa.
Over a few weeks, Elsa established a practice of waking up early to look for job, frequently without success. Elsa is aware that her savings are slowly running out. They receive a letter in response from Tony and Rose, who say that in addition to paying them to contour the land, the government will also be sending them love. Elsa gets ready one day to go to the PTA meeting at the kids’ school. Elsa waits even after the other women ask her to leave and then steals all of their snacks as they head out. She treats her children to the sandwiches and cookies.
That evening, Jean confides in Elsa that she is expecting once again and is concerned about feeding yet another kid.
Elsa can consistently find work in a cotton field in June for 50 cents per day, but there are rumors that the wages for cotton growers will shortly be cut. People in California are in severe need of employment due to the large number of migrants arriving there. Loreda informs her mother that she will need to work after school is out in order to save the money they will need for the winter months when there won’t be any jobs available.
When there is minimal employment in the cotton fields in July, the Martinellis and other migrant workers travel to Northern California to gather fruit. When the fruit season is done, they move on to look for new employment.
Chapter 15
Hannah explains how the media covers the worries of the non-migrant citizens who are concerned about the expanding migrant population. The citizens believe that migrants are a burden on the government services and link them to crime and disease, despite the fact that they toil away providing inexpensive labor for the farmers and other people. No one likes to see the people doing the work, even if they need the labor.
They go back to their previous camp in September to look for work in the cotton fields. They note the camp’s recent significant growth. After thus many months of struggle and despite the necessity to preserve money for the coming winter, Elsa now only has $20 ($7 less than when they had arrived). Loreda will not attend school; Elsa and Loreda have decided to work together. After the cotton season is finished, Loreda will pick up her studies again, and Ant will keep up his studies.
There is a steep learning curve, but they eventually manage to reach the point where they pick enough cotton to each make about $4 per day. Loreda will soon return to school, which she is hesitant to do now that cotton season is gone. Elsa takes her kids into town in an effort to inspire them once more.
Elsa takes the children to Betty Ane’s Beauty Shop and tells the owner that she doesn’t want Loreda to be made fun of at school. Elsa assumes that Betty Ane is trying to evict them when she sends her husband Ned to retrieve her, but it turns out that Ned is giving them some old clothing for the winter because they were also once migrants. A hot shower there is also something he offers them.
Loreda feels transformed when they are all fixed up and given haircuts. She is brought back to her younger self. When Loreda enters a library, she requests a library card. The woman still permits her to check out a book for now even without the card.
Elsa understands at the end of December that they won’t have enough money to make it through the rest of the winter. She must begin waiting in the food queue for assistance now because relief won’t arrive until April. While she will have to wait a further two weeks for another box of food, she waits hours in the cold to obtain one. She observes a man there urging workers to form unions, but police beat and haul the man away.
Elsa says that she has a letter from Rosa and Tony as well as little presents for the kids on Christmas morning. She also demonstrates to Loreda that she returned to the city to pick up her library card. She is aware of what the card indicates: “There was yet a future.” a world past this conflict Elsa receives a notebook from the kids as part of her Christmas present.
Jean yells for assistance in late January after realizing the baby is on the way. Elsa drives Jean to the hospital after she notices something is not right. She provides the hospital a pair of gloves in response to their refusal to admit her on the grounds that immigrants don’t pay taxes. Elsa delivers Jean’s child, but it dies shortly after. After her mother Clea, Jean gives it the name.
Loreda is sad after seeing the baby’s death. She accuses her mother in a rage for all that has happened to them. Later, when Elsa goes to speak with Loreda, she discovers that she has fled and has left only a message.
Loreda reverts to her old pattern of blaming her mother for everything and venting the anger that has been building inside her for so long, despite all the progress in her and Elsa’s relationship. Loreda targets her mother since she is the only one available to her to vent her wrath on, whether it be from the rudeness of others or the taunting by the other pupils.
With no way to vent her rage at their predicament, Loreda is overtaken by it. The only thing she can do now that it is winter and she feels helpless is to flee. Before, she could at least use some of it by picking cotton and doing something useful with her frustrations.
Up until a truck driver stops for her, Loreda continues to walk. The trucker is aware that girl is lying when she says she is 13 years old. Nonetheless, he offers to deliver her to a Bakersville bus station.
Chapter 16
Jack Valen is the truck driver’s first name. Before dropping Loreda off, he informs her that he must stop somewhere. He arrives at a barn via car. At first, Loreda is concerned, but it turns out to be a group of men and women engaged in lobbying on behalf of workers who go by the name of the Workers Alliance. While she converses with Jack, Loreda realizes she doesn’t want to leave her family and is overcome by the want to join their battle. When the police arrive, they detain Jack and end the gathering.
Loreda wanted to feel like she had something to fight for, a purpose to work toward, and something she could do to improve her life rather than to abandon her family. She no longer feels the want to leave her family after realizing what she must do.
Elsa reports Loreda missing by going to the police station. The police tell Elsa that her child will probably return home even though they are confident they won’t be able to find her. She recognized the man at the station who was being assaulted when she was in the food line (Jack Valen). Jack offers Elsa a ride home after noticing that she resembles the female he picked up earlier today, but Elsa thinks he is disheveled and unreliable. She rejects and departs.
As Loreda gets home, she calls her mother to apologize. She tells Elsa about the meeting she attended with enthusiasm, but Elsa shudders at the thought of siding with communists and upsetting their bosses. They do not have the “luxury of conducting a philosophical battle,” according to her.
The neighboring ditch fills up as it pours rain for the following few days. Then, while they are asleep, a flash flood occurs. They watch in terror as the raging waters destroy their tent and wash away their stove. Elsa is aware that they won’t ever see the money box again. Elsa turns around to grab their truck as the people run away. Fortunately, it works, and she maneuvers it into safety and out of the mud. She follows after spotting Loreda in a pickup up ahead.
Elsa is brought into Welty and dropped off in front of a closed hotel. Elsa recognizes the truck’s driver as Jack Valen. He leads them inside the hotel, which has been designed to appear deserted, and suggests that they remain for a few nights. Elsa travels with Jack to help the other displaced migrants as Loreda and Ant clean up in the shower. For the entire night, they work to get everyone to safety. Elsa collapses the following morning from exhaustion and seeing the destruction. As she wakes up in Jack’s truck, he assists her in checking into the motel. She has just been washed, and the linens are fresh.
Chapter 17
The following morning, as Loreda and Ant go outside, they discover many relief organizations lined up with food and supplies, as well as a table with a representative from Workers United. Loreda approaches Natalia and declares her desire to take part in their conflict. She advises Loreda to help pour coffee if she wants to help and tells her to take some shoes and clothing. Loreda eventually notices how few people have collected the fliers they had placed on the table and how she is the only one who has joined up to support the cause.
Loreda considers how she wants to be less of a “faithless” dreamer like her father and more of a fighter like Jack. Natalia shares with her the story of Jack, a former supporter of Mexican immigrants who spent a year behind bars. She claims that despite their efforts to assist the migrants in organizing, they have encountered strong opposition.
As soon as Loreda meets Jack, her perspective swiftly changes. She gives up idolizing her father and romanticizing all he told her. Loreda sought out anything in which to place her faith, and because all she had were her father’s unrealistic hopes, that was all she had. It is simple for her to give up on those dreams once she finds something better and more doable that she can devote her objectives and efforts to.
Elsa fears about all of their possessions, food, and savings being lost in the morning, but she finds optimism in watching her children serve others coffee and volunteer. Elsa travels with Jack to a Welty camp where a cabin that was vacant yesterday is located. The workers got first choice of the employment at Welty farm, and the cabins cost $6 a month and feature mattresses, concrete floors, and electricity. The guardhouse employee suggests that the majority of the population survive on assistance till cotton season.
She speaks with Jack and expresses her gratitude for his assistance while remaining opposed to communism. Jack shares with Elsa the story of his mother, who perished in a factory fire because the doors had been boarded up to stop employees from taking smoking breaks. He argues that that is what motivates him to carry out his profession. Elsa continues to be resistant despite his best efforts to persuade her to support the cause.
The following day, Loreda and Ant are taken to the Welty farm’s nearby school, along with other immigrant children. Bobby Rand, a student at the same school as Loreda, sits next to her and they both use the same textbook. Yet, the teacher reprimands Loreda for her query regarding unionism, calling it un-American. Loreda then makes her way to the library. The librarian suggests Ten Days That Shook the World by John Reed as a book about workers’ rights, but she advises Loreda to be cautious about what she says to other people on this subject.
Chapter 18
Elsa appreciates the ease of close laundry and shopping in the Welty camp, although she observes that the costs are quite high. Elsa is given the option to pay with credit at the store, but she needs to control her urges because she is aware of how simple it is to go overboard. The Dewey family is then discovered by Elsa as she returns to the first campsite and finds them all residing in a truck’s bed. She feeds Jean because she is at a loss for what to do. She is upset as she exits and runs into Jack, who attempts in vain to console her.
By March, Loreda has reached the age of 14 and Elsa has accrued a sizable debt. She continues to hunt for jobs every day while she waits for her relief to start at the end of April. When that time comes, she will be eligible for $13.50 each month. She discovers that the federal government has reduced financing for the food line there as well. With her aid money, Elsa gives Jean two dollars as they return.
Elsa devises a method to pay off her debt, but the shop rejects it because they only accept credit card payments. Elsa understands that Welty keeps them in debt on purpose in the hopes that they will overspend, use credit, borrow money, pay interest on it, and remain in debt. Elsa learns that she will forfeit both the cabin and the cotton job if she departs to pick peaches.
Elsa leaves in June to go to work tending cotton in the fields. Elsa informs Loreda that she can only assist with the cotton harvest later in the year despite her desire to go. Loreda instead makes her way to school. Loreda decides against going to the library and instead changes her mind as she gets closer and overhears the teacher talking about the girls learning to manufacture cosmetics for the day.
Loreda stops when she sees a sign for a town meeting at the theater and enters. A man is speaking at the platform on the state’s migrant crisis. They discuss how no one picks cotton because they all merely rely on welfare. Mr. Welty, a supporter of eliminating help during cotton picking season, is recognized by Loreda. When Jack starts to yell at the men, the cops pull him away and leave him wounded on the sidewalk. They eventually end up at a diner. Jack informs Loreda that cotton prices have decreased and that cotton growers are concerned about a prospective unionization of their workforce.
Chapter 19
Elsa, meanwhile, completes her workday and converts her chit, which served as payment for her services, into credit. There is a 10% conversion fee, and there is nowhere else to cash it in. Jack and Loreda are in their cabin when she enters. For the evening, Jack offers to take them out. He brings them to a bustling little Mexican joint, buys them some lunch, and then they go to a WPA-built city park.
Even though Elsa is unable to swim, Jack guides her down to the water as the kids swim. As an alternative, he demonstrates to her how to float. Then, just before he departs, Jack informs Elsa that he’ll be gone from town for a time but still wishes to get to know her better. Elsa claims that he “scares” her in reference to her affections for him, but Jack assumes that she is referring to the risky idea of unionizing.
When Elsa and Jean meet together during the summer, they discuss about Jack, and Jean pushes Elsa to alter her perspective of herself. Elsa believes that she is ugly and awful with guys, but Jean claims that Elsa has allowed the way her parents and Rafe treated her to shape the way she views herself.
The best time to pick cotton is in September. Ant, Loreda, and Elsa prepare to gather cotton together. Despite having their own bags, the supervisor insists that they buy Welty bags. As Mr. Welty arrives, he informs the line of workers waiting outside for work that he would be cutting wages by 10% that year. Elsa calms Loreda down when she becomes enraged.
After finishing his duties for the day, Loreda leaves in a huff. Two guys are fighting over the possibility of organizing, which she overhears. Ike, one of them, is in favor of the endeavors. They are having a talk when Loreda enters and suggests that they go on strike. Elsa interrupts her as she is speaking and brings her back to their cabin. There is still tension among the labor about the lower earnings while cotton picking continues. Afterwards invitations to a meeting of the Worker’s Alliance are handed out. Elsa refuses to put their employment and their cabin at risk, despite Loreda’s arguments to the contrary with her mother.
While Loreda believes she comprehends her mother’s worries, she also believes that Elsa’s “passion” has faded while hers has not. While in the Worker’s Alliance meeting, Loreda overhears Jack calling for a workers’ strike. Elsa appears and chastises her, furious that Loreda would put them in danger in this way, while she chants along with the mob. Elsa then sends Loreda on her way and converses with Jack. Elsa says that Loreda is too young to grasp what she is doing during their dispute. She cautions Jack to avoid Loreda.
Chapter 20
Ike informs Loreda that there will be a meeting in the laundry room at night when she sees him the following day standing by the water pump. Mr. Welty stops her while she’s walking and inquires if she’s heard any rumors about organizing, but she lies and claims she hasn’t. Later, men with rifles walk the fields where fences have been erected and a tower has been built. Mr. Welty claims that the union organizers have forced him to take additional security measures, which has cost money. He is therefore reducing their pay by an additional 10%.
Loreda is resolved to attend the meeting that evening. When Elsa tries to stop her but is unable to, she chooses to go to the meeting with Loreda. The roar of truck engines and a shower of headlights compel the men to scatter as they continue to observe the meeting. Guys in armed pursuit of civilians exit from the trucks. They can hear someone screaming in the distance, but Loreda is unfazed by it.
One week, Loreda requests a ride so she may practice driving as Elsa makes her way to the relief office. Mr. Welty arrives at the office as they are all lined up in line. When Elsa reaches the front of the line, she discovers that she is not qualified for relief during cotton picking season because she is capable of picking cotton (as evidenced by her address at Welty Farms).
They run into a frantic-looking Jeb as they exit the office, who informs them that Jean is ill. She has a fever and believes she may have typhoid. To get aspirin and a thermometer, Elsa sends Loreda down to the Welty store in the truck. Because Welty probably wants to emphasize to everyone how reliant they are on their employment, Loreda returns to say that the shop is closed.
Elsa instead requests aspirin from the hospital. Elsa demands the aspirin when the woman declines, then uses a bat to slam the desk and door until the woman delivers it to her out of terror. The woman then commands the security guard to stop her, but because he was once a migrant, he instead gives Elsa a five dollar cash. But Jean passes away. Elsa is devastated. Elsa then asks Loreda where she might find the unionists. Visits by Elsa, Loreda, and Ant to a barn that houses a Communist office. Elsa speaks with Jack and describes what transpired. She assures him that she is willing to assist in organizing the workers.
Loreda thinks her mother lacks grit and determination, but Elsa has proven time and time again that she is a fighter when she feels it is essential. She is willing to make a scene and threaten someone, which is very out of character for her, if it means helping someone she cares about. Elsa knows what needs to be done once she learns that unionizing is a life-or-death situation for her and her family.
People in the camp are suspicious of anyone who might or might not be reporting back to Welty. Loreda nevertheless does her best to let people know about a meeting on Friday.
Chapter 21
They get a letter from Rose and Tony informing them that there has been some improvement on the farm, including a decrease in dust storms and the government supplying water to the crops. Elsa finally admits to Loreda that the house they had seen in Dalhart was her former home, but her family had rejected her. Loreda then asks if they will see them again. Her true home was always on the farm with Tony and Rose, so certainly, they would return at some point. Elsa is informed by Loreda that her family missed out by not appreciating Elsa’s “specialness.”
The conference on Friday attracts a sizable workforce. Elsa pushes Jack to speak, despite Jack’s encouragement for her to address the audience. He begins by outlining the treatment of Mexican immigrants who had previously participated in the picking in California. As the Great Depression struck, the challenging times increased people’s distrust of strangers, and the immigrants were deported as a result. The agricultural sector was thus lucky to have the dust bowl as it brought in new labor for the sector.
After that, Jack goes on to explain that they must organize if they want to be treated honestly and paid a living wage, unlike the workers who came before them. He exhorts people to stand up so they won’t be abused and taken advantage of. The sound of police sirens then blares just as Jack declares the sixth as the day of the strike on fields around the valley. The audience went into a panic, and Elsa then felt something smack her in the head.
As Elsa awakens, Jack is standing next to her in an unknown room with a red welt on her head. Jack reassures her that Natalia is babysitting the kids back at the chalet with them. The barn was destroyed by fire, and some people were arrested, according to Jack. As soon as Jack acknowledges his affections for Elsa, she responds. The two of them engage in sexual activity following her shower. After that, Jack and Elsa head back to the cabin to meet the kids as they wait there in anticipation.
News of the strike had spread by the sixth, but nobody was certain of what would transpire. On that day, Welty arrives with a large group of armed men to make an announcement about a 10% pay cut. Jack challenges him and announces that there will be a strike. Elsa is aware that everyone has been told to enter the fields and sit down, but because nobody is moving, she takes her children and they go first. When Ike starts to move, the workers start to move and they all sit as directed, despite Elsa’s uncertainty as to whether anyone will join at that point.
Loreda is happy that no cotton is plucked on that particular day. Elsa is aware that the path will be longer because the majority of people have no money and will not be able to use credit or the Welty store. Elsa is informed that she must leave her cabin within three days that evening. One evening, Jack appears and tells her that she needs to leave even earlier. He leads them to the abandoned hotel since he has heard there would be “trouble” there.
The following morning, Jack kisses Elsa awake. She notes in her journal that morning that she is in love. According to her, the “four winds” have drawn people from all over to this location in order to take a stand for what is right. Elsa is aware that today will be significant and possibly hazardous. A small group has collected outside, and as they make their way toward the fields, they chant, “Fair pay!” As more people join them, the various groupings combine to become a mass of hundreds. They obstruct the road together.
Mr. Welty is standing close to the Welty Farms entrance. When the strikebreakers, who are arriving in trucks behind them, arrive, Jack encourages the workers to remain calm but not to let them in. The police arrive. Then a squad of armed vigilantes in masks move closer to Jack. He is being beaten violently while he cries out for Elsa. She is aware that she must assume command. She begins by outlining her background and the reasons behind her quest for a fair salary for everybody (this is the passage from the prologue of the book). When she’s through, she begins the chant “No more!” and the audience joins in.
The workers retreat to the fields to sit in peace when a tear-gas bomb is released, but Elsa is subsequently shot. The cops are reluctant to arrest Elsa despite Welty’s orders. Suddenly Loreda pulls out a gun and shoots Welty in the face. The strike then continues that day as the workers gradually make their way into the fields.
Jack then drives Elsa to the hospital and requests a doctor right away. After a while, Elsa wakes up, but she is already dead. She bids her children farewell and requests that Jack “carry them home.” Elsa gives Loreda the pouch containing the family’s lucky penny just before she passes away.
Later, Loreda writes that Elsa wanted them to return to Texas, but there is a financial problem preventing them from doing so. With a shotgun in hand and boys’ attire on, Loreda drives the vehicle to the Welty store with determination. It’s vacant. The attendant is approached for money, and she threatens to shoot the man if he follows her. She then throws the clothing away and only wears her dress. Men begin looking for the offender, scarcely noticing Loreda passing by in her outfit. She has 122 bucks in total.
After their trip through the desert, they set up camp that evening, and Loreda muses about the things she never told her mother. Jack advises her to close her eyes, reflect, and communicate with her mother in this way.