Life sometimes can be so difficult that it seems like you can’t go on and you want to give up. The themes in “B. Traven Is Alive and Well in Cuernavaca”, “End of April”, and “Serving of Hope”, show how someone can be troubled, but even at their lowest, glimpses of hope lay in their future.

“Serving of Hope” discusses the encouraging story of Tyrone Lewis and Jennifer Brock, two individuals who had been at rock bottom. Galen and Bridget Sampson helped provide a better life for them though when they hired the two former drug addicts to work at their new restaurant, The Dogwood Deli. Not only have the Sampsons provided a job opportunity for Brock and Lewis, but are also going to be training former drug users and convicts to provide them with culinary skills to kick start careers of their own. It is seen through the opportunities given by the Sampsons, that even those who have experienced the lowest times in life can still have a successful future.

In the story “B. Traven Is Alive and Well in Cuernavaca”, a writer travels to Mexico in hopes for inspiration for a story. While in the country, he seems to suffer from writer’s block. The writer experiences myriad events, but is still conflicted on how to write a story about his experiences. During his stay, he meets a man named Justino, and soon the narrator becomes fascinated with his life. Along with his adventures with Justino comes the haunting thoughts of the mysterious B. Traven, a famous writer from Mexico. Still, the writer cannot find a word to write. In the end though, a man tells him how he must “follow a story if it leads him to hell itself”. The writer is over flooded with information and rushes home to write about the events that inspired him in Mexico. Although the character is not as troubled as Brock and Lewis, the theme still continues that difficult situations, with time, will come to an end.

The poem “End of April”, also shows us that there is still hope in bad situations. The poem involves the speaker, who is in a state of loneliness, due to experiencing something depressing, such as a breakup. The speaker has found a robin’s egg, but is sad to find that it is empty. The hollow eggs reminds him that something was once there, but now is gone, just like someone had been in his life and has disappeared. In the end though, the speaker mentions how the memories of the person are still in her heart. The word choice in the poem shows that there is some hope instilled in her life, but still feels pain from the event. Words such as “toy”, “confetti”, and “glistening” demonstrates the speaker’s optimistic attitude towards her situation. Although something negative has happened in this poem, a sense of hope is felt from the speaker that things will be okay.

These works help us understand that we cannot give up in life just because something has gone wrong. Something positive can always come out of a negative experience, and we are reminded that we must look for the light at the end of the tunnel.