Spoon River Anthology · Chapter
Barney Hainsfeather explained
Barney Hainsfeather laments a tragic mix-up after a train wreck and fire, where he was mistaken for John Allen and buried in Spoon River instead of escaping to Peoria.
What happens
Barney Hainsfeather laments a tragic mix-up after a train wreck and fire, where he was mistaken for John Allen and buried in Spoon River instead of escaping to Peoria. He bemoans the indignity of both running a clothing store in the town and being buried there.
Themes in this chapter
Death and Legacy
Barney's mistaken burial highlights the absurdity and lack of control over one's final resting place and legacy.
Unfulfilled Lives and Repression
Barney's regret over running a clothing store in Spoon River and his desire to escape reflect a life of unfulfilled aspirations.
Characters to notice
- John Allen
Mistaken for Barney Hainsfeather in the train wreck, sent to the Hebrew Cemetery at Chicago.
- Barney Hainsfeather
The speaker, a clothing store owner who died in a train wreck and was mistakenly buried in Spoon River.
Key passages
“If the excursion train to Peoria Had just been wrecked, I might have escaped with my life— Certainly I should have escaped this place.”
If the train to Peoria had only been wrecked, I could have survived and definitely left this town.
Barney wishes for a different outcome that would have spared him both death and burial in Spoon River.
“But as it was burned as well, they mistook me For John Allen who was sent to the Hebrew Cemetery At Chicago, And John for me, so I lie here.”
Because the train also caught fire, they confused me with John Allen, who was sent to the Hebrew Cemetery in Chicago, and John was mistaken for me, so I ended up buried here.
The mix-up in identities after the fire led to Barney being buried in Spoon River instead of John Allen.
“It was bad enough to run a clothing store in this town, But to be buried here— ach !”
Running a clothing store in this town was bad enough, but being buried here is even worse—ach!
Barney expresses his disdain for both his life's work and his final resting place in Spoon River.