Decay and Ruin

The downward spiral of Buell is reflected in the characters themselves. A black cloud hangs over the inhabitants of the town. No one appears to have a positive outlook on life, and the best times seem to be behind everyone. The heyday of the town was many years ago when the steel mill was in full force, and, similarly, the heyday of its people are also in the rearview mirror. Grace, for example, is depressed that she is “past her prime” as a woman in her forties whose looks have worsened in the past few years. She also never started a decent career and feels too old to start one now. Even in Billy Poe's case, his life seems to have peaked during his high school days when he was a football star. Now, at the outset of the book, he works at a...