Persistence Pays Off

Willy mentions to Doc Smith that the previous year he and his grandfather had gone broke. Despite that, they were able to pull in a big enough harvest to make it through the next year. This year, they’ve worked to make the biggest harvest yet. Both Willy and his grandfather are determined to work hard to succeed. When Willy finds out how much his grandfather owes, he refuses to give up. Characters are constantly telling Willy that he won’t be able to save the farm or his grandfather, and he should just give up. Even his grandfather seems to have become worn down by the burden of taxes near the end of the book.

Willy refuses to give up, remembering what his grandfather said about hard work paying off before he got sick. Willy is determined to find a way. Even when...