Student Question
Why were the characters in "Tickets, Please!" reluctant to dismount their coach?
Quick answer:
In "Tickets, Please!", passengers are reluctant to dismount their coach due to the harsh, cold, and windy conditions outside, making waiting for another tram uncomfortable and risky. Packed trams make it unlikely for stranded passengers to be picked up, and passing trams often mock those stranded. Even in emergencies like fires, passengers prefer the safety of the coach until the danger becomes undeniable, highlighting their desire to avoid the discomfort of the cold night.
In the story, passengers are reluctant to dismount their coaches because they do not relish the idea of waiting for another tram while stranded outside in the cold. Furthermore, the unrelenting cold is usually accompanied by strong winds.
So, the passengers usually refuse to disembark unless a fire on board threatens their very existence. Even then, they often wait until circumstances leave them in no doubt about their danger before they climb out. The passengers know that most trams are packed; therefore, the chances of being picked up by another tram is very slim. Furthermore, some passing trams may be in disrepair and so, cannot pick up any passengers.
The passengers reason that, even if a tram leaps off the rails (due to the recklessness of the driver), other trams will soon be along to help 'haul it out.' They prefer to wait in the safety and security of the...
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tram rather than risk being stranded out in the cold, with no prospect of continuing their journey.
The reason for this reluctance to dismount is that the nights are howlingly cold, black and windswept, and a car is a haven of refuge. From village to village the miners travel, for a change of cinema, of girl, of pub. The trams are desperately packed. Who is going to risk himself in the black gulf outside, to wait perhaps an hour for another tram, then to see the forlorn notice 'Depot Only'—because there is something wrong; or to greet a unit of three bright cars all so tight with people that they sail past with a howl of derision?
In "Tickets, Please!" why are travelers reluctant to dismount from their coach?
In the story, the travelers are often reluctant to dismount from their coach because it is usually very cold outside: to have no protection against the elements is an extremely uncomfortable experience.
The passengers would rather stay in the safe haven of their coach than be exposed to howling winds in the dead of night. Also, waiting out in the cold for another coach is often a treacherous exercise in patience. Often, other coaches which pass by are full of passengers and can admit no more travelers; to add insult to injury, the passing travelers often howl in "derision" at those stranded passengers who dare to brave the elements. Additionally, a long wait may yield nothing more than another coach that is unfit to take passengers, a "Depot Only" tram.
To reiterate his point, the narrator points out that it is quite common for passengers to stay in their coach until the last minute, even in the event of a fire. Essentially, the passengers won't disembark until their lives are truly in danger ("till flames actually appear").