This scene takes place straight after Grampa's funeral however we can assume it is about two or three weeks after.
The lights go up as "Al cocks his head as he drives"; after rehersing this I putting the stage direction into context, I feel as if it represents Al's restlessness after the loss of his Grampa, it is the first real tragedy for Al and as he is only sixteen, it really takes a knock to him; for this scene he drops the pride and 'swagger' for a while and shows his maturity as he is a young adult and considered responsible, especially for the time period. Although he is restless, he still makes small talk as he wants to move on, being emotional wasn't considered 'Manly' in the 1930s:
"Makes a racket, but I think she's awright."
Al chooses the truck as topic of conversation as it is something he can take pride in and feels comfortable talking about, especially to take his mind away from Grampa. The fact that he is talking to his Mum is also significant as he too can find comfort in her, Ma even realises this and say that the Family "all depen' on" her.
Al then suggests the Family "shouldn't a brang that preacher". This is because Casey is a direct link to Tom whom Al is quickly developing a brotherly jealousy against; Tom's return means Al is being moved down in the Family hierarchy and is loosing his power and position of 'Man of the House' (Not helped as they have been removed from their house), and so Al thinks without Casey, Tom may not be as strong or influential, as the Family is strongly religious. However Ma feels differently and her word means that that topic is no longer conversation.
From the start of the performance we see Al is doubtful about California, and this opinion is really expressed during this scene:
"Ma, you scared a goin' to a new place?"
The trip to California is two and a half thousand miles long and it is really going to be Al to blame if the Family don't 'get across' as he picked the truck and so takes responsibility for it. Even though Ma says otherwise, Al sticks to what he's said and continues showing his strong belief. Al's dialogue in this scene is highly influenced by the loss of Grampa; his doubts are amplified and he realises that maybe California itself won't be so great, the trip has already brought death and tragedy to the Family but due to his deteriorating power and restlessness, Al can't voice his opinions aswell as his may have been able too previously.
Through this scene, there is little movement which conveys the character's emotions perfectly however when Al does move, it's to comfort Ma showing his sympathy and love as her child which is nice for the audience to be able to see and also shows their relationship.
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