Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Walk Two Moons, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Judgment, Perspective, and Storytelling
Parents, Children, and Growing Up
Grief
Nature
Summary
Analysis
When Sal sees the first sign for the Black Hills, the whispers change: now they tell Sal to rush again. She only has two days to make it to Lewiston. She tells Gramps they need to hurry, and as he tells her there’s no deadline, Gram gives him a look. Gramps says they’ll make the Black Hills a quick stop. Sal considers hitchhiking with someone else who drives faster, but she feels dizzy thinking about the curves down into Lewiston. She’s heard a lot about them. Gramps jokes that he should let Sal drive. Sal does know how to drive—Gramps taught her. They’d drive on the farm, and Sal looked forward to getting her license, but she became afraid of driving once Momma left.
Sal hasn’t told her grandparents that she needs to be in Lewiston by Momma’s birthday. But even still, Gram seems to have caught on to what Sal is thinking and understands that it’s important to her. This passage also raises more questions about what happened to Momma on her way to Lewiston and what she’s doing now. It’s unclear why Sal knows so much about the curving road that leads to Lewiston, or who told her about it. The fear of driving she developed after Momma left also seems significant, as it could imply that something happened to Momma on the road.
Themes
The Black Hills aren’t black; they’re covered in pine trees and look eerie. This is a sight Momma had always wanted to see. She used to talk about how the hills are sacred to the Sioux tribe, but the white settlers took the land. Sal almost expects a Sioux to stop the car. When Sal finally sees Mt. Rushmore, she thinks the presidents are great—but the Sioux must be sad about the “white faces” in their hill. The carvers should’ve added some Native Americans, too. Gram and Gramps seem just as disappointed, so Gramps speeds ahead. They’re in Wyoming by late afternoon, and Gram says she wants to stop and see Old Faithful at Yellowstone. She assures Sal that they’ll make it to Idaho by the 20th.
Because Momma cherished nature and her Native American heritage, Sal still can’t see the Black Hills without thinking about her mother. And because Sal knows from Momma that the Black Hills are sacred to the Sioux tribe, this colors Sal’s perception. Mr. Rushmore makes her sad rather than proud, because the carvings are a reminder that the U.S. government (as represented by the presidents’ “white faces”) forced Native American people off their land.
Themes
