Two devastating crashes in the novel happen almost simultaneously: Jed and Rebecca’s car accident as they are pursued by the law and the stock market crash of October 1929. How does the aftermath of the wreck affect the Strong family? How does it mirror what happens to their community, Hot Springs and the country at large as the Great Depression takes hold?
The car crash changes the trajectory for the entire family, sending them all on paths they never intended on taking. Shine especially mimicked the greater community and the Great Depression. She thought she had a plan for her family’s economic survival and had saved enough money to live a life she had imagined. Just like with the stock mark crash, all that changed in an instant with the car crash. Her life was flipped upside down and she had to start over from almost nothing.
The Depression threw the whole country into a disastrous downward spiral economically, forcing nearly everyone to pick up the pieces and climb back up the economic ladder. That was mirrored in the Strong family, who lost their livelihood and had to fight their way back to a solid footing. Shine made the economic gfight; Rebecca had a physical fight to recover from the accident, and Elsie faced an emotional struggle with her marriage.
MCA did a fabulous job paralleling the two crashes. The aftermath of each crash changed the course of history for the nation and for the Strong family. The ‘mettle’ of each was tested to the breaking point.