In john steinbeck’s “the turtle,” what quality might the turtle symbolize?

In the story written by John Steinbeck, it can be seen that the turtle was into a lot of hardship from the state of the road, the grassland, and the person from a truck passing by which almost tipped it over. The turtle is a symbol of perseverance, transformation through struggles, and aggression. 

Iwould say “longest” i could be wrong thoughof the two roads, i’be always taken the longest one.