No Promises In The Wind

Food plays a significant role in the novel, as the main characters spend much of their time trying to alleviate their hunger. Many different types of food appear in the story, including rabbit stew, bread, and “thin soup” (126). However, potatoes play a particularly prominent role, and they serve as the catalyst in an important early scene: At the beginning of the story, Josh sparks a clash with his father when he asks his mother for more potatoes at the dinner table. His father angrily responds, “No there aren’t any more potatoes, and if you haven’t had enough, that is just too damned bad. Do you think your paltry little job gives you special privileges to eat when everyone else at the table is hungry, too?” (17). His father’s angry outburst prompts Josh to leave home and try to make it on his own. In Chapter 3, spuds again appear as symbols of the desperate times. A farmer gives Josh and Joey a bag with six potatoes. While the boys are cooking one of the spuds over a campfire, a group of older boys attacks them and steals their potatoes. This scene also occurs at a turning point because after it, the boys hit rock bottom and are reduced to dumpster diving for nourishment.

The author’s choosing potatoes to symbolize the hunger problem of the Great Depression isn’t surprising. Potatoes have a historical association with poverty and peasant life. For example, the Irish potato famine of 1845-49 exemplified rural poverty and economic hard times. More than a million people died when a blight wiped out the Irish potato crop, which the peasants depended on for food. Vincent Van Gogh also portrays the harsh reality of rural life in his famous painting The Potato Eaters, which features thin-faced peasants sitting around a dinner table. Many stories about the Great Depression in the US feature potatoes. Because potatoes are cheap and don’t require refrigeration, they’re a staple for people with limited financial resources.