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"The Summer Farmer": 03/02/25
"The Summer Farmer" by John Cheever (1948) is set at the summer home Paul Hollis who otherwise lives and works in the city. Hollis, his wife, and their two children spend their summers on a farm in New Hampshire. It's a long exhausting train commute for him, one that absolutely sucks the soul from Paul Hollis but one he somehow feels compelled to do because it's what people in his class do and because it's good for his family. In the middle of this is the uneasy and confrontational relationship with a neighboring farmer originally from Russia. A series of events that ultimately result in the death of two rabbits brings everything to a head. It's ultimately the story of the other where Paul points his finger at the foreigner and thinks he's the cause of his problems. When the problem is actually within his family. The danger comes not from the neighbor but from the lack of communication and exhaustion of this ridiculous summer ritual. As with the other stories, this one sits on the Road Narrative Spectrum. This time Paul (and his family) is a privileged traveler (00). The destination is rural New Hampshire (33). The route there is via the railroad (00). Four stars Comments (0)
1997-2025 Sarah Sammis |
