Train (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Joy Williams
- First Published: 1972
- Type of Plot: Domestic realism
- Time of Work: The 1970's
- Setting: A train running between Washington, D.C., and Florida
- Principal Characters: Jane Muirhead, Danica Anderson, Mr. and Mrs. Muirhead
- Genres: Short fiction
- Subjects: Girls, Maturation or coming of age, 1970’s, North America or North Americans, United States or Americans, Traveling or travelers, Twentieth century, Alienation, Washington, D.C., Florida, Trains, Isolation, Cemeteries
- Locales: Washington, D.C., Florida
The Story
A train moving from one point to another is an appropriate setting for this story about two ten-year-old girls in transition in both space and time. Jane Muirhead's parents fight continuously as “bitterly as vipers,” and Danica Anderson's mother has just remarried and has sent her off with the Muirheads for the summer to give her some time to settle in with her new husband. The story begins with the two girls exploring the train on the way home to Florida. Mr. and Mrs. Muirhead spend most of their time in the lounge drinking cocktails, although they do not sit...
[The entire page is 1478 words long]
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