A Fella Builds His Own Sins

     "It don't take no nerve to do somepin where there ain't nothin' else you can do." This quote was said by Tom and he basically sums up the reason for every action that his family, and every other family at this time went through. The people that had to move west, they did not have to be brave, they just had to be willing. There were some people, like Muley, who stayed. Muley stayed because he was stubborn, not because he was afraid. Even if people were afraid, and they were, they didn't have the choice to be afraid, because they had nothing else to do, nowhere else to go.
     Also, Ma's true strengths and weaknesses show up in this chapter. Ma's strength was shown when the cop showed up in her tent telling them that they couldn't stay there. Ma stood up right there, grabbed a frying pan, and threatened that cop. Very few men would have the guts to threaten a man with a gun on his hip, let alone a woman. Also, Ma shows strength in another way. She holds herself together lying by Granma's dead body over night so the family doesn't worry. She risks her sanity to keep her family sane. Ma does, however, notice herself beginning to break down. "Seems like I can't think no more, I just can't think. They's too much," ; "Seems like the heart's took out of us," ; and "Can I set up front? I don't wanna go back there no more," are some examples of Ma breaking down.
     Wisdom and knowledge are two completely different concepts. Knowledge is simply having information stored away to memory. Wisdom is knowing how to use that information correctly. Wisdom comes from experience, whether it's your experience or someone else's. We get wisdom from doing, observing, and listening to people who have done. I find wisdom from both my experiences and my family. For example, whenever I have trouble fixing something that I know how to fix, but it's just not working, my dad can step in and fix it like it's nothing. He has spent his entire life fixing things. He knows how to fix things in non-traditional ways. Even though I know how to fix it, I don't have the experience or wisdom to get around obstacles.