# III: Young Man Goes West explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Ring Lardner.

## 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.

## Character check-ins

### Ella

Referred to as Dolly Madison, the narrator's dance partner at the Seattle ball.

## Key lines

> 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._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_62_se/chapters/iii-young-man-goes-west
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_62_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_62_se/chapters