“When I pulled my eyes away from the window, i looked at my mother. Her head was resting on the back of her seat. Her eyes were closed, and a grin was slowly forming at the corners of her mouth” (pg 466).

This quote is written about Luke’s mother as they are headed north. She has always dreamed of going to live up north and is finally happy that her dream has come true. A major theme in the novel is dreaming. Luke dreams about becoming a professional baseball player, Pappy dreams of having a successful crop, Luke’s grandma dreams of having her medicines be useful in helping the sick, and Luke’s mother dreams of getting out of the farm life. They feed off of these dreams and that’s what keeps them going. The entire novel is focused around the dreams of the characters and the things they do because of them.