Goals are reached when people persevere. This theme comes up many times. It came up especially when Mary and her husband started with nothing when their belongings were lost in a fire. They both earned just enough money to buy their fruit stand and two years later pay off the fruit stand. After they were able to save up money, they began to buy furniture for themselves in their house. After a few more years their fruit business was up and running and thriving. They never once gave up or backed out. They kept working and pushing to achieve their goal. "We had just enough money to buy some groceries and start out business. It took two years to pay for the fruit stand. Then we saved enough to buy one piece of furniture at a time- a bed first of all, then a table and chairs, and so on." (Quiet Odyssey, Mary Paik Lee, p.74) The author doesn't say much about the theme but more through her actions she shows the topic. These moments show how much work it may take to achieve these goals but it is worth it in the end. Over all the main theme of the story is how perseverance is the main train needed to achieve success in life. The drive to never give up even when the going gets tough. This story shows how to push through tough times and continue on through the hardships and loss.