Gray skies

Gray skies symbolize a bleak situation. In "The End of an Era, 1943," Poppa decides to close the store on a cold day when skies are gray. Closing the family business ends the Jurdabralinski's opportunity for income. Throughout most of the war they were able to adapt to the situations and to not be terribly affected by the war. By incorporating the novelty of an all-girl filling station, they actually attracted more business. Fritzi offset the idea of women working in a filling station by incorporating other war efforts into their business. They collected rubber for recycling, sold war bonds, and held community events to boost moral. But on the day Poppa decides to close, the station is gravely affected by people conserving gasoline. In this way, the color gray also symbolizes the family's mood after having sustained the business through so much to finally have...