The Grapes of Wrath
What differentiates Mr. Thomas from many of the other landowners and employers?
Chapter 22
Chapter 22
Mr. Thomas, the contractor, tells them that he is reducing wages from thirty to twenty-five cents per hour. It is not his choice, but rather orders from the Farmers' Association, which is owned by the Bank of the West. Thomas also shows them a newspaper, which has a story about a band of citizens who burn a squatters' camp, infuriated by presumed communist agitation, and warns them about the dance at the government camp on Saturday night. There will be a fight in the camp so that the deputies can go in. Mr. Thomas is a sympathetic land owner, a rarity in this book.
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