They raced at the picking, raced against time and cotton weight, raced against the rain and against each other – only so much cotton to pick, only so much money to be made.
– John Steinbeck
The Grapes of Wrath, Chapter 28. The Joad and Wainwright families leave for the cotton fields before dawn, knowing that the work there will soon come to an end. We see the theme of survival here, as large numbers of workers race against time to get enough cotton picked before the field is picked clean – which it is at 11 a.m.