The Motel

The motel is the primary setting for the story. Marie has worked at the motel for more than three decades, and every detail readers learn about her is filtered through the lens of her work as a motel maid. The motel has passed through two owners, and Marie has worked for both of them. The motel is a precarious place full of temporary workers, crime, and death, but Marie continues to work there until she is of retirement age. At the end of the story, Marie attempts to leave her mark by making one of the rooms the cleanest room there, challenging the anonymity typically associated with housekeeping and domestic labor.

The Clean Guest's Room

Early in the story, Marie encounters the room of a guest who appears to have kept the room tidy. Marie is grateful for this room, and it only takes her fifteen minutes...