In the beginning of the book, the main reason that the story happened is because of dreams to go west. “ Mama and Pa had long dreamed of going west…”(3) Lucy’s parents wanted to move west with their family. Without their dreams, The story would not have happened. Therefore, this contributes to the theme of immigration and migration.
“All I saw for five months was the bottom of the bunk above me”(7). Lucy traveled a long distance on a ship to go somewhere new. She is migrating to California for new opportunities.