The Vintage Book of Contemporary American Short Stories Chapter Summary & Analysis - A Vintage Thunderbird by Ann Beattie Summary

A Vintage Thunderbird by Ann Beattie Summary

A Vintage Thunderbird tells the story of Nick and Karen's relationship. Karen wants to stop seeing Nick, and various other issues come into play. Their friend Stephanie comes into town, pregnant and possibly wanting an abortion. At the same time, Nick tries to start seeing Petra, a woman from his work, but though he finds her beautiful, his heart is not in it. The Thunderbird is Karen's car, which Nick loves. In the end, Stephanie has an abortion, and Karen sells her Thunderbird. When Nick tells her that it was a scam, she frantically wonders if she can convince them to sell it back to her.

A Vintage Thunderbird by Ann Beattie Analysis

In this story, the Thunderbird symbolizes the relationship between Nick and Karen. Nick is obsessed with this car, which represents the kind of idealized image he has of Karen. Even though everything is falling apart, the car...
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