John Updike's literary craft is often interwoven with strands from his own life, most notably reflected in his story "A Sandstone Farmhouse." This narrative, like much of his work, draws heavily from his personal experiences, notably his connection to a rustic six-room sandstone farmhouse situated on an expansive eighty-acre farm in Plowville, Pennsylvania. Updike's formative years from the age of thirteen until he left for Harvard University at eighteen were spent in this farmhouse, which has served as a fertile backdrop for several of his writings.

Before settling in the farmhouse, the Updike family resided in Shillington, a mere eleven miles away. The house held deep familial significance for Updike; it was where his mother had been born and where she eventually passed away. This personal history imbues the setting with a poignant authenticity in his work. Novels like The Centaur and Of the Farm, along with numerous short stories found in collections such as Olinger Stories: A Selection, channel his experiences from this period of his life. The character Joey Robinson in Of the Farm bears a striking resemblance to Joey in "A Sandstone Farmhouse," suggesting a continuity and evolution of this semi-autobiographical figure across Updike's oeuvre.

"A Sandstone Farmhouse" garnered critical acclaim, winning first prize in the O. Henry Prize Stories competition and being featured in both Prize Stories, 1991: The O. Henry Awards and The Best American Short Stories, 1991. Through this story, Updike not only pays homage to a significant chapter of his life but also crafts a narrative that resonates with universal themes of nostalgia and familial legacy.

Joey's life was marked by a deep-seated resentment, primarily rooted in the decision his parents made to purchase the house where his mother was born. This choice necessitated a move from Olinger—a place built on the foundations of familiarity and friendship. Olinger, a fictional counterpart for Shillington, was synonymous with comfort for Joey. In stark contrast, the inherited house represented isolation and a relentless demand for labor; the burden of reconstructing and expanding the property weighed heavily upon him.

His mother's unwavering attachment to the house only exacerbated Joey's discontent. As she aged and became increasingly frail, her insistence on remaining in the house seemed irrational to him. Joey felt a strong urge to encourage her to relocate, believing it would bring both of them peace. Yet, she steadfastly maintained that the house depended on her presence, a sentiment Joey struggled to understand or appreciate. The house, with its silent demands and his mother's sentimental ties, overshadowed Joey's ability to find solace within its walls, leaving him caught in a web of resentment and rejection towards a past he never chose.

After his mother's passing, Joey resolves to sell the family farmhouse. In a fervent bid to sever ties with its past, he meticulously cleans the property, systematically ridding it of possessions once treasured by his mother. Among these were old photographs that laid bare her joyful childhood spent within the farmhouse walls. The only items spared from his purge were those dating back to a period he cherished, from when the family had yet to settle in the farmhouse. His actions reflect a deep-seated desire to reject the farmhouse and all its associations, almost as if he aims to convert it into an empty shell, devoid of memories and connections.

Yet, Joey's determination to erase all traces of his history there nearly succeeds until a poignant moment brings him face-to-face with the past he tries so hard to forsake. The demise of a flying squirrel becomes a catalyst for reflection, evoking memories of his initial days in...

Many of Updike’s central characters embody a sense of dislocation, perpetually yearning for a past that might merely be a figment of their imaginations. They find themselves in a cycle of dissatisfaction, marked by repeated failed marriages and the perennial loss of loved ones. These characters, feeling the weight of life's impermanence, are acutely aware of the inevitable decay and eventual demise of both people and possessions. In response, they throw themselves into their present lives and careers, seeking solace in the here and now. However, this immersion often proves to be little more than a temporary distraction from their deep-seated longing.

Joey, one of these characters, mirrors this pattern with his own history of three failed marriages. Yet, for Joey, these changes carry a definitive sense of finality. His journey towards understanding the essence of his life leads him to the realization that the old farmhouse could have been his sanctuary—a refuge from the pervasive grief and longing that haunt him. Tragically, this revelation arrives too late, as he has already eradicated the farmhouse's last remnants of vitality. In this narrative, the farmhouse stands as a poignant symbol of what could have been, embodying the intertwined themes of dislocation and unfulfilled yearning that define Updike’s work.