Flight

“Pepé smiled sheepishly and stabbed at the ground with his knife to keep the blade sharp and free from rust. It was his inheritance, that knife, his father’s knife.”

Here, the symbol of Pepé’s knife is introduced. The knife is precious to the protagonist as it represents his desire to be a man. Consequently, he is careful to maintain the blade. Nevertheless, his sheepish demeanor suggests that he lacks the maturity and confidence that manhood entails.

“Mama said wisely, ‘A boy gets to be a man when a man is needed. Remember this thing. I have known boys of forty years old because there was no need for a man.’”

This passage establishes the theme of The Difficulty of Growing Up. Mama suggests that the process of maturation does not automatically occur. There must be the added pressure of the need for the transformation to happen. The comment foreshadows the murder that abruptly launches Pepé into manhood.

“His voice was tired and patient, but very firm. ‘Light the candle, Mama. I must go away into the mountains.’”

Before Pepé reveals that he has killed a man, his tone indicates that he has changed. His voice suggests greater maturity and world-weariness. Steinbeck represents the effects of his loss of innocence.

“He was changed. The fragile quality seemed to have gone from his chin. His mouth was less full than it had been, the lines of the lips were straighter, but in his eyes the greatest change had taken place. There was no laughter in them any more, nor any bashfulness. They were sharp and bright and purposeful.”

Here is the confirmation of what is hinted at in the last quote. Pepé has also changed physically after encountering a situation that requires a man. The soft lines of his boyish face and demeanor are gone, reflecting a psychological hardening of his character.

“The little quarrel—the man started toward Pepé and then the knife—it went almost by itself. It flew, it darted before Pepé knew it.”

In Steinbeck’s story, the unseen conveys just as much as the seen. Both this scene (the inciting incident) and the antagonist remain out of sight for the entire narrative while still acting as a commentary on Steinbeck’s major themes. Here, Steinbeck embeds a cautionary message about toying with adult responsibility before one is ready.

“Pepé straightened his shoulders. His mouth changed until he looked very much like Mama.”

As Pepé feels the full weight of adult responsibility, he takes on the stance and expression of his mother. Pepé wants to be a man, but the inner strength he draws on is modeled on Mama. In a story that centers on traditional concepts of masculinity, Mama Torres ironically emerges as the strongest role model.

“Moonlight and daylight fought with each other, and the two warring qualities made it difficult to see. Before Pepé had gone a hundred yards, the outlines of his figure were misty; and long before he entered the canyon, he had become a gray, indefinite shadow.”

The mist and the figurative battle between day and night are symbolic of The Difficulty of Growing Up. As soon as Pepé’s journey into manhood begins, the landscape becomes misty and ambiguous. The lines between boy and man, man and animal, and justice and revenge are blurred, leading to the tragedy at the end of the story.

“Pepé rode half over in his saddle, dangling one leg loosely. He picked a bay leaf from a tree beside the way and put it into his mouth for a moment to flavor the dry jerky. He held the gun loosely across the pommel.”

Here, Pepé’s lack of maturity shows itself. His relaxed posture on horseback demonstrates he has not entirely shed the laziness from his childhood. His loose grip on the gun, despite the hazardous circumstances, foreshadows his loss of the weapon.

“He sat down in the crisp dry oak leaves and automatically felt for his big knife to cut the jerky, but he had no knife. He leaned back on his elbow and gnawed at the tough strong meat. His face was blank, but it was a man’s face.”

The knife serves as a symbol of Pepé’s desire to be a man throughout the rising action of the story. However, now that he has finally embarked on a journey into manhood and faces adult challenges and dangers, that desire disappears, along with the knife. The narrator does not reveal what happened to the knife. Instead, Pepé simply discovers that it is no longer with him.

“From the ground beside him he picked an oak twig and threw it toward the spring. The quail flew up with a roar and the doves whistled away. The big cat stood up: for a long moment he looked at Pepé with cold yellow eyes, and then fearlessly walked back into the gulch.”

The wildcat’s reaction to Pepé’s attempt to scare it away is a reminder of The Superiority of Nature Over Man. The cat leaves as Pepé wanted, but of its own will. The cat’s calculated assessment of Pepé and fearlessness are a reminder that human desires are of little consequence in the inhospitable landscape.

“The moon came up and filled the valley with cold blue light, and the wind swept rustling down from the peaks. The owls worked up and down the slopes looking for rabbits. Down in the brush of the gulch a coyote gabbled. The oak trees whispered softly in the night breeze.”

Here, nature is portrayed as completely indifferent to Pepé’s predicament. In a very literal sense, life goes on around him as it always has. The passage hints at the futility of human endeavor within the cycles of the natural world, underscoring the theme of The Superiority of Nature Over Man.

“He moved with the instinctive care of an animal. Rapidly he wormed his way toward one of the big outcroppings of granite on the hill above him.”

This passage takes place soon after Pepé loses the first item of his father’s clothing, and his horse is shot out from under him. Without the trappings of manhood, he cannot maintain his manly composure and relies on animal instinct to survive. This description reduces the protagonist to the level of a worm in his attempt to escape his antagonist.

“With the effort of a hurt beast, Pepé got up and moved again toward the top of the ridge.”

Here, Pepé has shed all the layers of his costume, and after also losing his rifle, there is nothing left of his manhood. He is figuratively compared to an injured animal climbing the ridge out of the instinct to escape.