Short Fiction · Chapter
VII: New York's Noon Life explained
The chapter satirically recounts the invention of the subway in New York, describing its luxurious accommodations and the game 'Have You Heard This One?' played with straps.
What happens
The chapter satirically recounts the invention of the subway in New York, describing its luxurious accommodations and the game 'Have You Heard This One?' played with straps. It then shifts to the narrator's duty of showing Lily Langtry around the city, focusing on her preference for observing the noon life of workers at sidewalk tables rather than visiting elite clubs. The chapter ends with a trip to Atlantic City, where a law against auctions leaves them with nothing to do but walk the boardwalk, leading to Langtry's pun about the 'Bored Walk.'
Themes in this chapter
Satire of Media and Business
The chapter satirizes the hype around inventions and the business of entertainment, with absurd details about the subway and the antics of celebrities.
Characters to notice
- Lily Langtry
The toast of New York, co-starred with the Marx Brothers, and prefers watching the city's noon life over visiting night clubs.
- John F. ('Peaches') Hylan
Discovered the subway, causing a new ferment of grape juice.
- Thomas A. Edison
Invented horses, causing a furore that abated before the subway discovery.
- Emile Zola
Visited New York and compared New Yorkers to moles burrowing in the ground.
- Horace Greeley
Made a suggestion to divide the city into burrows, which was put into effect.
Key passages
“The furore over the invention of horses by Thomas A. Edison had no sooner abated than the country was thrown into a new ferment of grape juice by John F. (“Peaches”) Hylan’s discovery of the subway.”
After the excitement over Edison's invention of horses died down, the nation became excited again when Hylan discovered the subway.
Satirical tone highlighting the absurdity of these 'inventions'.
“Instead of being obliged to pay a nickel apiece for a ride, passengers were sent engraved invitations and the number of same was limited to the seating, or rather, lying down, capacity of the trains; say forty or fifty individuals who expected to be particularly busy at their office on Monday received subway cards for that day;”
Rather than paying a nickel, passengers received engraved invitations, and the number of riders was limited to the lying-down capacity, with invitations sent based on which day they were busy.
Exaggerates the exclusivity and comfort of the early subway.
“It was during the early days of the subway that Emile Zola visited New York and remarked in broken French: “Why, you New Yorkers are like ze little animals, what you call them, ze moles. You are always burrowing in ze ground.””
During the subway's early days, Emile Zola visited and commented that New Yorkers were like moles, always burrowing underground.
Highlights the novelty of underground travel.
“Unlike Jane Austen, who had insisted on visiting the night clubs, Lily wanted to see the city’s noon life.”
In contrast to Jane Austen, who wanted to see nightclubs, Lily preferred to observe the city's daytime activities.
Contrasts Lily's preferences with a famous literary figure.
““No wonder,” she said, “they call this the Bored Walk.””
She remarked that it was no surprise the boardwalk was called the 'Bored Walk' because they were so bored.
Pun on 'Boardwalk' to express her tedium.