The Artificial Family (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Anne Tyler
- First Published: 1975
- Type of Plot: Domestic realism
- Time of Work: The 1980's
- Setting: Baltimore, Maryland
- Principal Characters: Toby Scott, Mary Glover, Samantha Glover
- Genres: Short fiction, Domestic realism
- Subjects: Children, Family or family life, Mothers, Parents and children, Marriage, Fathers, Remarriage, Separation, Stepfamily, Joy or sorrow, Dating, Child care
- Locales: Baltimore, MD
The Story
When Toby Scott meets Mary Glover at a party, he is immediately impressed by her long hair and old-fashioned gingham dress. Afraid that he might not see her again, he asks her to dinner immediately. Mary tells the eager bachelor that she has a daughter, but Toby does not know if this means that she is married or is simply unwilling to date.
Samantha Glover, Mary's daughter, is a somber five-year-old who dresses like her mother, in floor-length dresses. The impression that Mary and Samantha make together is that of stoic pioneers riding a wagon train across the...
[The entire page is 1470 words long]
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