The Wayward Bus

In the final chapters, the bus is freed from its rut, paralleling the characters’ respective returns to their lives. However, while The Wayward Bus is a character-driven novel, the characters don’t experience any significant growth or changes on the journey, which highlights The Stasis of Human Existence.

Near the end of the novel, Steinbeck reveals that Van Brunt is dying, providing context for his characterization as angry and aggressive. As Van Brunt’s life is in constant question, he doesn’t have patience for the people around him as he processes his fear of death: “He listened to time passing in his veins and he wanted death to come and he was afraid of it” (257). When Van Brunt has another stroke on the bus, the stakes of the novel are heightened. While other characters are eager to either stay put or keep going, Van Brunt must be moved to save his life. Ironically, even though Van Brunt has annoyed Juan the most with his directions and criticisms, Van Brunt’s life-threatening health situation is what finally propels Juan into action and gets the bus moving toward San Juan. Van Brunt’s internal struggle with his health, mortality, and intrusive thoughts highlight Steinbeck’s message regarding hidden interiority and that nobody truly knows what another is going through.

The wayward bus symbolizes each character’s desire for something to change. Pimples, for instance, sees the bus as his opportunity to make a connection with a woman. He comes close to forming a bond with Norma by being vulnerable with her, something she typically doesn’t experience: “[Norma] had never known this kind of abject pain in anyone but herself. No one ever needed Norma for sympathy or reassurance. A bubble of warmth burst in her and a kind of gratefulness” (260). However, Pimples reverts to his lonely, disconnected state when he goes too far with Norma. Pimples doesn’t achieve his goal because, as he discovers, he struggles to understand boundaries. Pimples ultimately doesn’t grow as a character, nor does Norma, who continues to project her loneliness onto Camille despite Camille’s clear communication that they will likely not end up in an apartment together.

Similarly, Juan and Mildred return to the people they were before embarking on the wayward bus. Juan decides to return to his wife and the life that he was once so eager to escape. Mildred has a sexual experience with Juan, but it doesn’t change her. Mr. and Mrs. Pritchard return to their status quo despite the rape, with Bernice using the event as leverage for an orchid house she desires and Elliott eager to provide a material means of buying her forgiveness. Ernest extends himself to Elliott and to Camille, always looking out for his business interests. Finally, Camille, who has been steadfastly herself internally, makes no promises to the other characters who hope to keep in touch with her.

Ultimately, Steinbeck portrays the human experience as forever getting into and out of ruts. He analyzes the human experience as one that is recursive; no matter how much one may want to change themselves or something about their life, they usually end up as the same people.