One of the main premises of the book—and of Tex’s life—is that there is always the conundrum of whether to stay in the place in which one grew up or to leave for ostensibly larger vistas and bigger dreams. Typically speaking, the idea of staying in a small town is conflated with limitations and lowered expectations, while the notion of leaving promises greater opportunities and rewards. This belief, however, is not the case for Tex. He often thinks that, wherever it is that promises happiness—whether Garyville, Oklahoma or off to college or in the city—should be considered home. At one point, he disagrees with Mason’s criticisms of Lem’s decision to marry and start a family young, “I didn’t think he was right, because if you were where you wanted to be—even married and a daddy and in Garyville—you weren’t stuck” (113). For Tex, freedom is to be found in hunting and fishing and marrying your sweetheart in the same small town in which you were raised.

From the time the fortune teller reads Tex’s palm at the Fair, her fortune becomes a mantra for him: “Your next year: change. My best advice: Don’t change. Your future: There are people who go, people who stay.