Journeys and Destinations

Going on journeys and reaching destinations drive the plot forward. It is Nana Reja’s journey from the hills to Linares as a young woman that allows her to find Simonopio in her old age. Under her care, Simonopio grows strong enough to embark on his own journey, traveling the hills to “follow his bees to the end of their daily journey” (188). The bees’ destination is an orange orchard, which prompts Francisco to make another journey to California. Following this pattern, each destination reached begets a new destination that requires a different journey to reach. While some journeys reap positive benefits for years to come, like the prompt to plant orchards, some only bring despair. Espiricueta’s journey north brings him to what he believes is an unfavorable destination: La Amistad. This becomes the central conflict of the novel. His plot of land becomes...