Not sure what to write about

So how is everyone liking the book so far?
Are you tired of the detail? Are you wondering what the Joad's are gonna find when they get to California? Do you wonder how many more people will die before they finally arrive at they're destination?

Persistent, or just plain dumb?

So the Joads have come a long way already. The grandparents are both deceased, the trip has been quite difficult, and now people keep telling the family of how there is little to no work in California, and the limited amount is not even worth it. In chapter 16, the man explains to Pa how in Cali, 20,000 people try to get 800 positions. Why then do the Joads continue with their journey? Are they persistent, confident that they can salvage their lives, or. . . not?

I thought that the Myth of Anteaus (or however you spell it) was really interesting. My theory is that it is almost a parallel to the Joads. He was extremely strong as long as he remained in contact with the ground (his mother earth), but once lifted into the air he became as weak as water. This relates to the Joads because we have been talking about how Grandpa died because they took him away from the land he loved, and now Granma is dead. The myth of Antaeus has been used as a symbol of the spiritual strength which accrues when one rests one's faith on the immediate fact of things. To Antaeus the land was a form of physical strength from Mother Earth, and to the Joads it is mainly a form of strength emotionally and physically. A very close parallel when you think about it. I could be wrong though. Does anyone else have any ideas?

Antaeus

If anyone would care to shed some light on what Antaeus has to do with the book, please do tell because I just do not see the parallels.

Ma

Can you believe that Ma laid with Grandma all that time while she was dead?????? Crazy....

the Myth of Antaeus

How does the myth of Antaeus relate to Grapes of Wrath?

Dialouge

Why does Steinbeck go back and forth between dialogue without quotations and no names of people talking and real conversations. For example, in chapter 15, on page 210 Mae is having a conversation with two truck drivers, but there are no actual quotes. Later in the chapter, Mae talks to a poor family, and there are quotations and everything. I'm sure there's a reason, but what is the difference between the truck driver and the poor man?