What is the deeper significance of Steinbeck's theme in The Snake?​

This early story astounded Steinbeck’s agent as well as the publishers to whom he sent it—all of whom considered it too bizarre to print. He finally published it in a local newspaper, the Monterey Beacon, in 1936, but it did not receive widespread national distribution until appearing in Steinbeck’s collection The Long Valley in 1938.

Explanation:

the answer:

in the first part of the story running is all that matters to squeaky. running gives her confidence and defines who she is. at the beginning of the story she says that other kids call her mercury because she runs very fast. in the text she refers to herself as "miss quicksilver".

the line that provides the best evidence that squeaky has self-confidence is

" and i continue with my breathing exercise, strolling down broadway toward the ice cream man on 145th with not a care in the world cause i am miss quicksilver herself".

go i think this should he the answer i'm not sure