Smithy's Journey

The more I think about The Memory of Running, the less I see Smithy's journey across the country as a quest. When I think of the word "quest" the idea of achieving an important goal at the end of a journey comes to mind. I still haven't figured out what that goal is for Smithy. Don't get me wrong; Smithy was close to his sister, so I understand why going to California is so important to him. I know that Smithy made the decision to travel to Bethany on an impulse and that the decision was incredibly emotional, but I'm not sure what the point of his trip is. He really loved Bethany, so I can see why he wants to go all the way to California, but other than seeing his sister's body for a few minutes, I don't know what the point of going to Venice was. Smithy sacrifices a lot to get to Bethany. He loses his job and is basically left with nothing by the end of his journey, so it just seems a bit anti-climactic that once he gives up so much to see Bethany, he simply mumbles a few words to her, kisses her, and leaves.

His trip to California, however, is a different story. I think Smithy unconsciously gains a lot by embarking on his journey. He loses weight, improves his eating habits, stops drinking, and quits smoking. He also becomes an avid reader. Along the way, Smithy meets many interesting people and listens to their stories. At numerous points in the book, he says things along the lines of "the world isn't so bad." On this journey that only lasts a couple of months, he probably interacts with more people than he ever did in New Hampshire as an adult, and he starts to see that people are actually quite good. Smithy also becomes more mature in some ways, since he slowly heals his relationship with Norma through frequent phone calls and finally has the courage to deal with his awkwardness about wheelchairs by the end of the book. I think Smithy's physical health improves a lot from the journey, but also his mental and social well-being.  

From an emotional perspective, Smithy's journey was fulfilling because he got to see Bethany and he overcame his awkwardness towards Norma. His trip seemed equally rewarding from a personal perspective, since he matured and his overall lifestyle seemed to improve. Not to sound like  a cheesy hotel ad or something, but I think Smithy's lengthy journey was just as important as his destination, if not more.