What's Inside
This volume gathers fourteen distinct narratives that pivot on the friction between traditional chivalry and the encroaching modern age. The stories range from a government office transformed by a young clerk's energy in the title piece to a secret disappearance on a foggy coast. The collection moves from the materialist world of a Connecticut surgeon to the dramatic stage-acting of a Southern student living in poverty. Each piece centers on a specific character’s confrontation with their own identity, whether it is a grandmother rejecting her domestic role or a man traveling miles to see a disproportionately small canopy bed owned by his ancestors.
Works & figures
- Jimmie Harding
A young clerk whose gallant energy revitalizes a tired government office. (in “THE GAY COCKADE”)
- Nancy Greer
A woman whose disappearance in a gray bathing suit remains a mystery. (in “THE HIDDEN LAND”)
- Anne Dunbar
A woman whose husband views love as a matter of flesh and bone. (in “WHITE BIRCHES”)
- Tom Randolph
A Southern student who dramatizes his life to hide his financial struggles. (in “THE EMPEROR'S GHOST”)
- Mrs. Cissy Beale
A new grandmother who refuses to settle down or accept the title. (in “A REBELLIOUS GRANDMOTHER”)
What it's really about
- Dramatization
- Characters perform social roles to mask internal or financial realities.
- Materialism vs. Spirit
- The tension between medical/scientific logic and personal imagination.
Why it's memorable
- A saint over a church door with an icicle hanging from his nose.
- A rose-colored chintz canopy bed sawed to fit a specific man's height.
Where to start
Start with THE GAY COCKADE to see how a single personality can disrupt the monotony of a bureaucratic office.
For your book club
- The contrast between Nancy's blue cloak and the gray fog in her disappearance.
- Whether Mrs. Beale's refusal to be called grandmother is vanity or hard-earned independence.