Another Life Claimed by the Desert

"'They was too old,' he said ' They wouldn't of saw nothin'  that's here. Grampa would a been a-seen' the Injuns an' the prarie country when he was a young fella. An' Gramma would a remembered an' seen the first home she lived in. They was too ol'. Who's really seein' it is Ruthie an' Winfield."  At the beginning of the journey, had lost Grampa and met the Wilson's all in the same ,spot. In this section of their journey they not only loose Noah when he decides to stay by the river, but also the Wilson's who decide they can't go on due to Sairy's illness. When they move on to the desert they also loose Gramma in the night. This chapter is full of a lot of information but the main thing you feel is the beginning of the loss and the death of the family as a whole. Tom makes this statement after they finally make it to California and see the beautiful sights they had been dreaming of. This quote shows that although they have a lot of loss and they're family may be falling apart, they no that the important thing was the two that made it and could appreciate it, the children Ruthie and Winfield, were there.
Another thing in the chapter that struck me was the change seen in Ma. When they camp she is in denial, refusing the prayer over Gramma because she is refusing to believe she is dying. She also is aggressive with the police officer that tells them they cannot stay. By the characterization given throughout the novel and the reaction Tom and Pa had to the changes they saw in her in chapter 16, we know that this is not in her character. She also refused to stop yelling that grandma was sick and they needed to get through. Later we come to know that Gramma had died before that moment and Ma had laid with her all night. This was really shocking to me because it was probably very traumatic for her and obviously changed her in some way.
Wisdom to me is something that you can't study. Its something that you gain gradually with time and experience. I think its hard to be wise unless you are older because younger people haven't had enough life experience to become wise. Knowledge is thoughts gained about a subject is something you can learn and its something you consciously strive towards. Wisdom is unconscious and is gained when you try to obtain knowledge. I think that you can find wisdom from any experience that you learn from. I think that I find wisdom best when I make a mistake and wish I hadn't. I learn from that experience and gain wisdom about it in the process.