Tom looked down at the preacher. The light crossed the heavy man’s legs and the white new pick handle. Tom leaped silently. He wrenched the club free. The first time he knew he had missed and struck a shoulder, but the second time his crushing blow found the head, and as the heavy man sank down, three more blows found his head.
– John Steinbeck
The Grapes of Wrath, Chapter 26. An angry Tom Joad delivers retribution to the police officer who has murdered Jim Casy. He rains five blows on the officer, killing him. While morally wrong, Tom’s act is different to the drunken killing of the man at a dance, which earned him four years in prison. In this case he is standing up for migrants’ rights and fighting for a righteous cause greater than himself. He is taking on the role of Casy.