It is partly because of this defiance that Pepé commits murder. But they do not, and this fact is important, for although the Torres' house is described as a shack and the barn is 'rattling' and 'rotten,' and although the buildings are 'bitten' with sea salt and 'beaten' by the winds that lash the stony hills, the Torres family and their farm survive because of their determination and their defiance. As Mexicans, and in particular as poor Mexicans, the Torres are like aphids to the white community because they are equated with pests, nuisances to the so-called civilized white community.įurthermore, the Torres' farm buildings are described as being 'crouched' low to the ground, and Steinbeck says that it seems as though they might blow into the sea. Yet they are a unit and they 'huddle' for protection from the elements and from the large white Anglo settlement that surrounds them in the towns and those who farm the rich fertile fields of the upper lands, far above the Torres. The ocean that is below the Torres' farm 'hisses,' and the farm buildings on the hillside 'huddle' like 'little clinging aphids.' The Torres family, thus, is much like their farm buildings. Note, particularly, the lean and chiseled sentences into which Steinbeck inserts adjectives that enhance and create suspense within the reader even before the story itself unfolds. In addition, the land is as dramatic as the story itself will become. They must eke out a living on a landscape that is threatening and uncivilized. They do not live on level ground, for example their farm is situated on a few sloping acres above a cliff that drops sharply into the sea. He parallels their poverty with that of the land. He does not say, in a word, that the family is poor.

Here, Steinbeck shows us the Torres' farm. This, in turn, helps explain their actions and the motivations for the events that occur in the story. Thus, his characters become more vividly realistic because they reflect the values of their towns or farms or their regions. Steinbeck is concerned that his readers can clearly view and understand the settings of his stories and novels. Steinbeck begins his narrative much as he did in The Red Pony - that is, he carefully describes the setting first of all. He is insulted and kills a man as a result, he must flee for his life, and it is this flight that is the substance of the story. Briefly, Pepé Torres rides into Monterey, California, to do an errand for his mother. In the story 'Flight,' young Pepé Torres' manhood also depends on his dealing with death, but in this story, Steinbeck focuses upon the impending death of Pepé himself during a tense and harrowing chase. Olermo’s gentle ways and clients appreciate her thoughtfulness, honesty and care.In “Flight,” Steinbeck writes about a young boy and his initiation into manhood, but this time Steinbeck does not give us the leisurely developed, many-situation structured narratives that composed the stories in The Red Pony. In those stories, young Jody Tiflin learned the values of happiness and despair of adulthood because of his witnessing the deaths of two horses (which he passionately loved) and by his hearing the philosophies and wisdom of two old men (Jody's grandfather and a Mexican peasant). She also enjoys Zumba classes, camping and loves yogurt ice cream. She has a family of five, Jose her husband, Landerjoe her son, Alyanna her daughter and Mango, a beautiful peach-faced lovebird. Her areas of interest are shelter medicine, infectious diseases, nutrition and anesthesia. She proudly became the owner of Huff Animal Hospital in 2019. Olermo obtained her Certificate of Qualification in May 2016. In the summer of 2015, she attended the University of Guelph, completing the Veterinary Skills Training and Enhancement Program at Ontario Veterinary College.

Olermo immigrated to Canada worked as an Animal Health Technician at several lower mainland animal hospitals and shelters. She worked in a mixed practice animal hospital and taught Microbiology at an agricultural college in the Philippines. She also received the “Academic Excellence Award in Veterinary Medicine” in her class. Farida Olermo graduated from University of the Philippines in 1999 with a degree in Veterinary Medicine.

Pony town faces pepe