Short Fiction · Chapter
III: Young Man Goes West explained
The narrator recounts a whimsical journey from Duluth to Seattle, involving a Sealyham dog pulling sleds, the deaths of relatives from exposure, and a stop in Butte.
What happens
The narrator recounts a whimsical journey from Duluth to Seattle, involving a Sealyham dog pulling sleds, the deaths of relatives from exposure, and a stop in Butte. Upon arriving in Seattle, he attends a ball where he meets Dolly Madison and dances with her, beginning a friendship. His family then leaves him in Seattle, where he spends the next seven years of his childhood.
Themes in this chapter
Satire of Media and Business
The narrator's absurd journey and the exaggerated events at the ball satirize the sensationalism of media and the business of entertainment.
Characters to notice
- Ella
Referred to as Dolly Madison, the narrator's dance partner at the Seattle ball.
Key passages
“The trip from Duluth to Seattle was rather uneventful and can be dismissed in a few well rounded paragraphs.”
The journey from Duluth to Seattle was unremarkable and can be summarized briefly.
The narrator sets a humorous tone by dismissing the trip as uneventful.
“It was a gay crowd for the first two hundred miles.”
The group was cheerful and lively for the initial part of the journey.
Describes the festive atmosphere during the early stages of the trip.