Quest for Peace

Several characters take part in this theme. The characters include Sal, Phoebe, Mrs. Winterbottom, John, and Sugar. Sal isn’t taken to Idaho for Sugar’s funeral. John sought to save Sal from the anguish of the funeral without realizing that she needed closure to come to a peaceful acceptance of her mother’s death. It’s not until Sal travels to the site of the bus wreck and to her mother’s grave that she finds herself accepting the situation. Sal’s quest for peace overlaps John’s own need for the same. John insists that he and Sal leave the farm in Bybanks, saying that Sugar is “haunting” him. John senses Sugar’s presence everywhere on the farm, both inside and outside the house. He wants to sell the farm but allows Sal to convince him to rent it so they can...