The Wayward Bus

In Chapters 15 through 18, the bus becomes a plot device that prompts significant character realization and plot development. The title of the novel describes the bus passengers as “wayward” because the bus is a physical embodiment of transition, change, and now, being stuck. When the bus goes into a ditch, all the characters are stranded together, which is an important plot development as it invites additional conflict and tension. However, the bus getting stuck also symbolizes the “ruts” people find themselves stuck in during life, perceiving that their unfulfilled dreams, ambitions, and fantasies have gone to waste, leaving them mired within The Stasis of Human Existence.

Steinbeck illustrates that a period of transition can force people to look inside of themselves in ways that make them uncomfortable and that force them to deal with reality instead of indulging in Dreams, Ambitions, and Fantasies as Escape. Juan learns that his fantasy to run away is unrealistic because he doesn’t actually have it in him, interrupting his period of transition. Juan believes he has freed himself, only to be disappointed and quickly found by Mildred, who is herself going through a period of emotional transition as she grows into her autonomous adult identity. Juan and Mildred have sex, acting upon their mutual desire. Juan and Mildred essentially use one another: Juan uses Mildred to avoid the complications of running away while still breaking his sense of stasis, and Mildred uses Juan to differentiate herself from her unexciting, stagnant parents. They each seek what will make them feel good—at least momentarily—so that they can take a break from their transition.

Meanwhile, Elliott Pritchard’s character shifts significantly when confronted with realities that contradict his self-perception. When Bernice retires to the cave with a headache, thus shutting him out, the narrator traces Elliott’s feelings to his childhood and being five years old with a new sibling: “[T]he feeling came on him that he was always a little dirty and noisy and unworthy […] And then the cold loneliness had fallen on him, the cold loneliness that still came to him” (238). He responds to this loneliness by attempting to seduce Camille—via an offer to be his secretary—but Camille sees through it. This suggests that Elliott’s external mask, in both his business and marriage, is an attempt to hide the reality of his deep-seated loneliness. Bernice’s headaches and Camille’s rejection force him to recognize how lonely he is. Elliott represents the status quo and is highly invested in appearances, so he is ashamed that he can’t be happy in his image-perfect marriage. His attempts to assert his dominance in business with Ernest and Camille are thwarted because they can see him for who he truly is. When Elliott’s mask fails to work, he takes his anger out on his wife in an act of sexual violence. Elliott’s rape of Bernice is a violent plot twist that highlights the external brutality people inflict when they are unwilling to deal with their internal conflicts. The rape also illustrates People’s Resentful Dependence on One Another, as Elliott resents the truth in Camille’s statement that it is Bernice—not himself—who truly runs his life and business. However, the rape is also a larger indictment of what Elliott Pritchard represents: the insidious nature of American business and the feeling of entitlement of the rich to possess and control everything and everyone.

The wayward bus journey, therefore, becomes one in which characters grapple with the tension between self-perception and reality.