# A Canary for One explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Ernest Hemingway.

## What happens

An American couple traveling by train from the South of France to Paris shares a compartment with an older American lady who is bringing a canary to her daughter. The lady reveals she separated her daughter from a Swiss man she loved in Vevey, believing no foreigner can make a good husband. The narrator and his wife, who honeymooned in Vevey, listen as the lady discusses her fears of train wrecks and her shopping habits. Upon arrival in Paris, the narrator and his wife part ways with the lady and prepare to set up separate residences.

## Themes in this chapter

### American Identity and Disillusionment

The American lady's insistence that American men make the best husbands and her rejection of her daughter's Swiss lover highlight a narrow, disillusioned view of national identity and the failure of cross-cultural love.

### The Search for Authenticity

The narrator's deliberate choice to say 'braces' instead of 'suspenders' to maintain an English character, and the couple's plan to set up separate residences, suggest a search for authentic connection amidst performative roles.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown

The narrator, an American husband traveling with his wife, reflects on the journey and the conversation with the American lady.

### The girl

The narrator's wife, who engages in conversation with the American lady about Vevey and the daughter's lost love.

## Key lines

> I had started to say suspenders and changed it to braces in the mouth, to keep my English character.

The narrator corrected himself from saying 'suspenders' to 'braces' to maintain his assumed English identity.

_Reveals the narrator's self-conscious performance of nationality._

> I took her away, of course.

The American lady separated her daughter from the Swiss man she loved.

_Highlights the lady's controlling nature and prejudice against foreigners._

> We were returning to Paris to set up separate residences.

The narrator and his wife were going to Paris to live apart.

_Suggests the end of their marriage, contrasting with the American lady's ideal of American husbands._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_15_se/chapters/a-canary-for-one
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_15_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_15_se/chapters