Short Fiction · Chapter
Between Rounds explained
A May evening at Mrs.
What happens
A May evening at Mrs. Murphy's boardinghouse begins with a domestic quarrel between the McCaskeys, which is interrupted by the news that Mrs. Murphy's little boy, Mike, is lost. The entire boardinghouse community becomes involved in the search, revealing both the harshness and the underlying compassion of city life. The McCaskeys briefly reconcile over the lost child, but their fight resumes after Mike is found asleep under a roll of linoleum.
Themes in this chapter
Humor and Irony
The McCaskeys' violent domestic quarrel is treated comically, and the frantic search for the lost boy ends with him being found asleep in his own room, undercutting the drama.
Social Class and Wealth
The boardinghouse residents are working-class, and their concerns—lost wages, cheap food, and communal living—highlight their economic struggles.
Nostalgia and the Passage of Time
Mrs. McCaskey reflects on the child she never had, and the lost boy's age reminds her of what might have been, evoking a sense of lost time.
Characters to notice
- Unknown Narrator
The narrator describes the scene at Mrs. Murphy's boardinghouse and reflects on the city's hidden compassion.
- The Captain
Not directly mentioned; no match found in excerpts.
- Mrs. Conant
Not directly mentioned; no match found in excerpts.
Key passages
“Silent, grim, colossal, the big city has ever stood against its revilers. They call it hard as iron; they say that no pulse of pity beats in its bosom; they compare its streets with lonely forests and deserts of lava. But beneath the hard crust of the lobster is found a delectable and luscious food.”
The city is often criticized as cold and unfeeling, but underneath its tough exterior lies a surprising tenderness.
The narrator defends the city's hidden compassion, especially in response to a lost child.
“No calamity so touches the common heart of humanity as does the straying of a little child. Their feet are so uncertain and feeble; the ways are so steep and strange.”
Nothing moves people more than a lost child, because children are so vulnerable and the world so dangerous.
The narrator reflects on the universal sympathy evoked by a missing child.
“Mrs. McCaskey arose heavily and went to the stove. There was something in her manner that warned Mr. McCaskey. When the corners of her mouth went down suddenly like a barometer it usually foretold a fall of crockery and tinware.”
Mrs. McCaskey's expression signaled an imminent outburst of thrown dishes.
The narrator humorously describes the predictable pattern of the McCaskeys' fights.