In the scene where Ma asks Uncle John to bury Rose of Sharon's stillborn baby, what action does he take?

In the scene where Ma asks Uncle John to bury Rose of Sharon's stillborn baby, what action does he take?

• A. Wraps it in a cotton band buries it behind a boxcar
• B. Gives the body to Mr. Wainwright to bury because he believes that it would be a sin for him to bury it himself
• C. Gives the body to Casy, asking him to say a prayer as he did for Granpa, before he buries it
• D. Puts it in an apple crate and floats it downstream into the town below

Answer: (D)

This moment tests how Uncle John confronts tragedy and how the family handles death while traveling. He doesn’t bury the baby in the ground or hand the responsibility to someone else; he places the body in an apple crate and floats it downstream toward the town below. This choice fits the harsh realities of migrant life: they lack a steady place to bury someone, and a discreet, portable disposal allows them to keep moving without drawing attention or getting bogged down in ritual. The river carrying the crate becomes a quiet, indirect farewell, balancing mercy with practicality. The other actions aren’t what the scene shows—there’s no boxcar burial, no handoff to Mr. Wainwright, no gesture to Casy—so the apple crate and downstream disposal best capture the moment and its themes.

This moment tests how Uncle John confronts tragedy and how the family handles death while traveling. He doesn’t bury the baby in the ground or hand the responsibility to someone else; he places the body in an apple crate and floats it downstream toward the town below. This choice fits the harsh realities of migrant life: they lack a steady place to bury someone, and a discreet, portable disposal allows them to keep moving without drawing attention or getting bogged down in ritual. The river carrying the crate becomes a quiet, indirect farewell, balancing mercy with practicality. The other actions aren’t what the scene shows—there’s no boxcar burial, no handoff to Mr. Wainwright, no gesture to Casy—so the apple crate and downstream disposal best capture the moment and its themes.