The novel "The End of the Road" unfolds against a seemingly mundane backdrop, yet each setting within it holds symbolic significance and contributes to the unfolding drama. From the nondescript town of Wicomico to the stark environment of the Remobilization Farm, these locations reflect the internal conflicts and existential struggles of the characters. Through these places, the reader experiences the complexity and tension underlying the surface of ordinary life.

Wicomico: A Commonplace Backdrop

Wicomico is a small town on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, modeled after the real town of Salisbury. It is a typical mid-Atlantic town of the 1950s which serves as a bland external setting for the novel's intense internal and interpersonal dramas. The town itself is given little descriptive attention, reinforcing its role as a backdrop rather than a focal point of the narrative. This ordinariness of Wicomico contrasts with the complexity of the relationships and psychological states of the characters, highlighting how extraordinary experiences can occur in the most unremarkable of places.

Jacob Horner’s Room: A Symbolic Space

Jacob Horner's boardinghouse room is where much of the novel's drama unfolds. It is a large, almost barren space with high ceilings, big windows, and a prominent bed, meeting Horner's particular tastes. Despite its simplicity, the room is rich with symbolism. It contains Horner’s sparse possessions, including mostly Mozart records and a single Russian dance, reflecting his mental state. A small statue of Laocoön, representing Horner's existential plight, sits on the mantelpiece. Here, Joe and Rennie Morgan confront Horner, and it becomes a regular venue for their adulterous escapades at Joe’s behest. The room encapsulates Horner’s internal struggles, and he ultimately leaves it behind, abandoning even the Laocoön statue.

Remobilization Farm: Confronting Choices

The Remobilization Farm is an unconventional psychiatric facility located in an old farmhouse in the Maryland-Pennsylvania area. Here, the doctor employs unique treatments like mythotherapy for patients such as Jacob Horner. The Progress and Advice Room, all white with just two chairs, is designed to confront patients with their choices. This stark setting reflects the clinical and introspective approach of the facility. Notably, this is where Jacob brings Rennie for an abortion, resulting in her death, a pivotal event in the narrative. The minimalist decor of this facility echoes in the Morgan apartment, linking these spaces through their shared aesthetic of austerity.

Morgan Apartment: Idyllic Yet Tense

Situated near Wicomico’s edge and close to fields and forests, the Morgan apartment offers an almost idyllic setting. The apartment is large and sparsely furnished, with white venetian blinds and unadorned hardwood floors, mirroring the starkness of the Remobilization Farm’s Progress and Advice Room. This simplicity creates a functional yet emotionally charged environment where Jacob and Rennie first embark on their affair while Joe is away. The apartment’s setting underscores the juxtaposition of serenity and underlying tension that permeates their relationship.

Wicomico State Teachers College: A Place of Fantasies

Wicomico State Teachers College is housed in a large, unattractive pseudo-Georgian brick building where Jacob Horner teaches grammar and meets Joe Morgan, a history teacher. The college, and specifically Horner’s classroom, serves as the setting for his intense sexual daydreams and fantasies about his female students. This environment reflects Horner's internal chaos, where the line between reality and imagination blurs, creating a space charged with latent desires and unfulfilled ambitions.

MacMahon Farm: The Dawn of an Affair

The MacMahon farm, owned by Rennie’s parents and located near Wicomico, provides a pastoral backdrop for the early stages of Jacob and Rennie's affair. As they ride horses through the woods, their conversations subtly reveal the burgeoning relationship between them, emerging almost...