Blind Your Ponies

Don Quixote is a symbol of perseverance in this novel. Sam teaches Cervantes’s novel in his English class, but the boys from the team realize that they can gain insight from the novel’s themes. After watching Man from La Mancha, the team gains encouragement from Aldonza reminding Don Quixote of his decision “to dream the impossible dream” (160). Although Sam does not assign the novel to inspire the Broncs, the team becomes impassioned by the characters and incorporates the themes into their practice. Sam sees Don Quixote as a type of mascot for the team because he knows that everyone around him does not believe in him or the team. However, Sam decides to try anyway, even for the small amount of hope that they can accomplish their impossible quest of winning the championship.

The tandem bicycle outside the Blue Willow is a symbol that represents hope. Diana learns that the bicycle has sat outside of the Blue Willow for 25 years because the locals hope that the couple who fought and left without their bicycle will one day return for it. The locals keep the bike in shape and ride it to make sure that it is prepared for the couple when they return. Although Diana believes that this tradition is far-fetched, it reveals Willow Creek’s desire to believe in something working out for other people. Since the locals struggle in their own lives, they want to see someone win for once—whether it is in the basketball tournaments, or the couple returning for their bike. Even though Diana thinks that the bike represents a foolish hope, Sam discovers Andrew’s secret that he was the man in the couple and that he continues hoping that his previous girlfriend, Sarah, will return. When Sarah does come back at the end of the novel, Sam realizes that hoping for the unbelievable is not foolish like he once believed but brave.