Manhattan Transfer · Chapter
V: Went to the Animals’ Fair explained
Ellen Oglethorpe dines with George Baldwin at a Long Island roadhouse, where Baldwin confesses his unhappiness and romantic desperation.
What happens
Ellen Oglethorpe dines with George Baldwin at a Long Island roadhouse, where Baldwin confesses his unhappiness and romantic desperation. The evening escalates when Baldwin brandishes a revolver, but Gus McNiel intervenes. Later, Ellen and Jimmy Herf visit the site of a murder cottage, and the chapter closes with news of the assassination in Sarajevo and the looming war.
Themes in this chapter
Illusion and Performance
Baldwin's theatrical confession and the staged normalcy of the dinner contrast with his violent outburst, highlighting the performative nature of social interactions.
War and Violence
The news of Sarajevo and the looming war permeate the chapter, juxtaposing personal drama with global catastrophe.
Urban Alienation
The characters' emotional emptiness and the sterile, crowded roadhouse setting underscore a sense of disconnection in modern city life.
Characters to notice
- Ellen Thatcher
Dines with Baldwin, later visits the murder cottage with Herf, and reflects on the war news.
- George Baldwin
Confesses his unhappiness and romantic obsession with Ellen, then pulls a revolver in a jealous outburst.
- Jimmy Herf
Dances with Ellen and accompanies her to the murder cottage after Baldwin's scene.
- Gus McNiel
Intervenes to disarm Baldwin and calms the situation at the roadhouse.
- Elaine Oglethorpe
Introduced as Ellen's companion at dinner; Baldwin mentions his past infatuation with her.
Key passages
“The terrible thing about having New York go stale on you is that there’s nowhere else. It’s the top of the world. All we can do is go round and round in a squirrel cage.”
Baldwin laments that once New York loses its excitement, there is no alternative—it is the pinnacle, leaving only a repetitive, meaningless cycle.
Reflects Baldwin's existential ennui and the theme of urban alienation.
“Sarajevo, the word stuck in her throat when she tried to say it.”
Ellen finds the name 'Sarajevo' difficult to utter, symbolizing her struggle to comprehend the gravity of the assassination and the impending war.
Highlights the intrusion of historical events into personal consciousness.
“He was crumbling plaster with something that rattled achingly in his chest, she was an intricate machine of sawtooth steel whitebright bluebright copperbright in his arms.”
Jimmy Herf feels fragile and broken while dancing with Ellen, who seems cold and mechanical, emphasizing their emotional disconnect.
Illustrates the theme of identity and self-destruction through bodily metaphor.