Escaping from Life: A Thematic Analysis on “Train and “Dolly” Anonymous 12th Grade

“Train” and “Dolly” are two of the short stories from Alice Munro’s novel Dear life. Jackson, the protagonist in “Trian”, and the unnamed narrator in “Dolly” seem to lead a very different life, yet careful analysis reveals a high resemblance in their mindset through how they deal with the troubles they run into in their lives. The theme of escape can be obviously seen in both stories. Nonetheless, the problems they face, the reason behind their escape, and how they proceed with their lives after escaping are dissimilar.

The main complication of Jackson’s life is that he is afraid to form tight emotional bonds with anyone. As soon as he senses any sign of intimacy, he pushes people away, and that is why he has been moving from one place to another. Jackson’s mother died in a car accident when he was a little child, and his stepmother came into his life. However, he did not develop a loving relationship with his stepmother as it is mentioned in the story, “He hated his stepmother. Why? No reason” (210). His first escape happens at the beginning of the story. He just came back from the war and was on a train heading back to his home. Nonetheless, he decided to jump off the train before it reached the destination, and started to...