47 pages • 1 hour read
Across The Desert
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Themes
Personal Growth Through Adversity
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of addiction as well as grief due to the loss of immediate family members (father and sister).
Jo begins her narrative as a girl burdened by circumstances. Addiction limits Jo’s mother’s ability to care for her, and Jo misses her mother’s affection. Jo carries this burden alone, believing she must keep the drug use a secret to avoid foster care. The longer she keeps the secret, though, the more Jo worries that her mother’s habit will worsen or have tragic consequences. These combined stresses prompt Jo’s dismal outlook, but they also foster an inner strength that Jo discovers with the new adversities of witnessing Addie’s crash and searching for her in the desert. Jo’s growth, resulting from her challenges, is evident in her increased confidence and new “can-do” attitude after finding Addie.
Jo’s challenges with her mother’s struggle are in place as the novel begins, but after witnessing Addie’s crash, additional challenges arise with each unplanned decision Jo makes. Jo must tackle these challenges to keep moving toward her desired goal of rescuing Addie. With each small victory over the unintended consequences of her poor planning, Jo’s resourcefulness and confidence grow; this inspires a newfound belief in herself she will utilize at crucial moments in the desert. For example, after Jo rashly takes a bike from a campground, she realizes she cannot ride or control the bike consistently. After her accident on the interstate, though, she learns how to keep it running from clues about the bike’s operation. She then manages to ride it most of the way to Hope, one step closer to her final goal.
Jo’s challenges suddenly seem more surmountable to her upon finding Addie, and this has an impact on her outlook. Before Jo’s quest, bullying at school and neglect at home caused Jo’s dire, bitter viewpoint; she states to Addie in their direct message conversations, for example, that she will never be able to attend college or travel with Addie. A more optimistic Jo surfaces as soon as she meets the challenge of finding her injured friend; she even finds Addie’s severe pain in her broken legs a positive: “That’s good […] It’s good that you can feel them” (213). Seeing positive things happen even under difficult circumstances has a profound impact on Jo, and she voices this positivity and proposes novel ideas for saving Addie, Marty, and herself.
Jo’s new confidence and outlook carry over into her homecoming, and with Marty’s and Mrs. Peterson’s support, she now can share the burdensome secret, confront her mother about her addiction, and coach herself in healing ways toward greater acceptance and happiness. Jo knows that reality will continue to be challenging, but her adversities in dealing with her mother’s struggle and Addie’s accident help Jo to develop the conviction and attitude she needs for forward progress.
Believing in Oneself Despite Others’ Doubts
Jo’s actions and words reveal her character arc as she matures throughout the novel. This development is apparent through her reactions to those who doubt or dismiss her belief that Addie is in danger. Jo reacts as a child would to her doubters early on, but later shows more patience and logic. Throughout this transition, however, her quality of shrewd persistence remains observably consistent. As Jo demonstrates, believing in oneself when others demonstrate doubt requires tenacity and gumption.
Jo’s tendency for persistence is evident in her reactions to adults before she leaves Phoenix. After she witnesses Addie’s crash, for example, Jo attempts to tell a librarian. When the librarian simply switches off the computer, Jo’s concern for Addie only increases; she never doubts what she saw. Similarly, despite the fire station man’s doubt in her story, Jo’s belief that Addie needs help does not waver. Jo sneaks away to avoid the authorities discovering her mother’s condition and their living situation. Jo demonstrates continued persistence in seeking her mother’s help, but her mother only forbids Jo's future computer time. Jo quickly gives up on her, demonstrating impatience with her mother’s incapacitation. Jo shows she will not be dissuaded from helping Addie by taking her mother’s phone—twice—and attempting to call the Alamo Lake sheriff’s office. The reply indicates doubt in her report of the accident: “If you want to discuss this further, please have a parent call back” (42). In these examples, Jo’s impulsive responses reveal her youthful mindset; her strong belief in herself, however, prompts Jo to set out after Addie alone.
Jo’s initial reactions to Marty’s doubts indicate a similar youthful reaction, as when she runs away in the night on her own. Once Marty tracks her down in her grandfather’s car, however, Jo admits she needs the help, showing a marked step toward maturity. From that turning point, Jo’s maturation is evident as her rash reactions to Marty’s doubts change to steadfast insistence. She remains shrewdly constant on Addie’s location and in refusing to involve authorities who might contact her mother. Her tenacity combined with her effective utilization of Marty’s help allows Jo to succeed in the quest to save Addie. Ultimately, because of Jo’s belief in herself despite the doubts of others, Addie is found and Jo’s mother is in recovery.
The Impact of Technology on Modern Quests
Technology plays a significant role in the story: Jo and Addie meet via Blipstream’s livestreaming of Addie’s show and get to know one another through their direct message chats. Had it not been for the livestreaming technology, Jo would never have known about Addie’s crash. Once Jo sets out on the quest to find Addie, however, technology no longer serves its purpose: Transportation is unreliable, and batteries die. Ultimately the characters must rely on their own skill, knowledge, and wits—not technology—to survive their time in the desert.
Initially, technology proves helpful for Jolene in acquiring the bus ticket; she uses her mother’s cell phone and credit card, and she purchases the ticket in her mother’s name. Once in Quartzsite, though, technology becomes unhelpful. Marty comments on her grandfather’s landline and phone book; ride service apps like Uber are unavailable. Jo has more trouble pushing the unreliable e-bike than she would a regular bike. Marty’s grandfather’s car is not enough to save them; it gets within 12 miles of Alamo Lake but then dies. Finding Addie is a joy and victory—until Marty tries to call for help; the dead phone battery is not just an inconvenience but a terrible threat thanks to the extreme heat.
Alternatively, without the phone, Jo’s map of Alamo Lake becomes invaluable: A low-tech solution for a very high-stakes situation saves the day. The map’s importance is foreshadowed and highlighted by Joanie Cash’s noticing it in the Flipside Café when she comments on its caliber. Addie’s personal experience provides the best route back to the café. Then, with Jo’s mechanical ingenuity, the frame and wheelbase of the ultralight provide a makeshift stretcher for Addie, needed to get her safely out of the desert.
Working together, Jo, Marty, and Addie return from the harsh desert safely. While technology is employed to call the ambulance for Addie (once the dead phone charges), its use is anticlimactic, as anyone in the mobile home court might have made the call. Much greater efforts have been made because of the girls’ knowledge, skill, and wits. Jo realizes that although technology can serve as a useful tool in modern quests and adventures, prior planning, resourcefulness, optimism, and resilience serve modern quests much more effectively.
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