April 2 Summary and Analysis

In the morning, the Western Flyer sails south to Puerto Refugio, a bay along the east coast of Guardian Angel Island. The island is desolate and inhabited only by rattlesnakes, with tall mountains, rocky shores, and strong tides. In the late afternoon, the collecting party takes the skiff to shore, where there is much flotsam and debris and skeletons of various birds, fish, and mammals littering the shoreline. However, there is no evidence of humans. Walking around the point, they find an area with abundant tidepools and spend some time collecting there. The water is cold, the waves strong, and the beach rocky, creating a high-energy environment and abundant marine life. Steinbeck believes this challenging environment creates stronger and healthier species, and makes an analogy to troops that are constantly faced with challenges as opposed to those who live an easy...