A Long Way from Chicago | Themes

A Long Way from Chicago Themes

Appearances Can Be Misleading

At the outset of this collection of stories, Grandma Dowdel appears to be unfriendly, antisocial, unapproachable and perhaps bitter. She seems to be deliberately avoiding the entire town and displays complete disdain for her neighbors. In particular, she expresses a nasty, negative view of a townswoman, Effie Wilcox, and turns her nose up at all the town activities and affairs. She is one intimidating woman, and her two grandchildren tremble in their boots whenever anyone crosses her. She hatches plots to get things to go her way, but at the outset, these plots seem to be unfriendly and self-centered.

Not long into the stories, however, the reader begins to see that Grandma is not the tough, mean, unyielding character she seems to be. When she plays the trick on the out-of-town reporter in "Shotgun Cheatham's Last Night Above Ground," she spares the townspeople the nuisance of an outsider interfering in...
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