In the last fifty pages of this book, Cliff returned home from his cross-country road trip; a solid conclusion to a somewhat wandering book. He continues his extended stay in Montana for a few more chapters, but finally heads back to Michigan, where he moves on to his grandfather's old property to rebuild the house that had been burnt down. Cliff can't return to his old farmhouse, as it was sold after he left, in the divorce proceedings. When he gets to Michigan, though, Cliff and Vivian visit the old farm one last time. Cliff says, "We drove over to our old farm and I wept like a baby stung by a bee. My attached shed was gone and the barn was painted bright red. The orchard had been bulldozed and seeded and surrounded by white board fences a la Kentucky" (242). Cliff is clearly torn up about seeing his home of many years be torn down. The simile relating him to a small child who has been hurt also enhances the sad and vulnerable image of him. As sad as it is, though, this is a necessary and significant event in his life because it represents his ended relationship with wife, and is symbolic of putting the past behind himself. I also found this quote interesting because it shows a more conventional side of Cliff. Throughout the trip he's presented himself as a high-minded and fairly un-materialistic person. But now through his attachment to the farm one can see that Cliff is as sentimental as any other person and that even though he left home for quite a while, he still has memories and emotions invested in his old house.
I was quite relieved to find out that Cliff didn't get back together with his ex-wife. It had been hinted at a few times, but in the end they settled at a strong friendship. If they had remarried the plotline would've been unbearably cliche - divorce, roadtrip to sort out feelings, realize you're still in love. Luckily this did not happen. The ending was quite satisfactory, actually, which was nice since I was pretty bored by the end of this book. The last few lines are alright. They read, "This won't be a bad life I thought happily. What there is left of it is undetermined but I'll do fine" (254). While it's not an incredibly profound way to end things, it wraps things up nicely by creating contrast with the rest of the book. Through most of the story, Cliff does not have peace of mind and instead contemplates and debates things all the time in his head. He worries about the past and the present and the future. To see him finally accept things the way they are gives the story closure. It's also a little ironic because the reason he went on his trip was to find this peace of mind, and yet he didn't achieve it until returning home.
Harrison, Jim. The English Major. New York: Grove Press, 2008.
2 comments:
From what you have said about the ending, I think that it is huge that he goes back to the old farm house, but doesn't get back together with his wife or do anything to go back in time. It seems like when he goes back to the farm house he is looking back in time at what was, and how he and the house have changed. And yet, he doesn't try to go back in time and remarry. So, it is like he has accepted the past, and moved on. Great post
A book about a road trip is a little cliche, but I like how his trip ends back at his old house. It really shows that life is really circular, and that as much as we try, we cannot change our past.
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