One of the most recurrent and most important themes presented throughout the book is that of hope. It lies in The Escapist, The golem, Joe's hope for his family, Sam's hope for a career, and much more. This universal hope is what brings humans together such as Rosa and Sam, when they hoped for Joes return. This also intertwines into the themes of American literature and that of America. America is known as the city paved in gold. It is thought to be a place where dreams come true, no matter who you are or how you get there. America provides hope for many people and creates an environment in which they can achieve success. This is key to the book and is present in almost every single chapter. Everyone hopes for something and this book displays that extremely well.