The Accidental Tourist

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1985

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-4

Chapters 5-8

Chapters 9-12

Chapters 13-16

Chapters 17-20

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

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Chapters 9-12Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 9 Summary

Macon recalls his grandfather’s descent into dementia. He dreams about his grandfather warning him about losing the center of his life. Macon initially thinks Grandfather Leary is referring to Ethan, but Grandfather clarifies that he’s referring to Sarah. Macon realizes that Grandfather’s mind began to go once Grandmother Leary died.

Macon gets his cast removed and then promptly must leave for New York to begin his next guide. He takes the train, following his routines with his choice of clothing and reading material. He feels isolated from everyone else at the station, noticing that most people are traveling with others, and even the people traveling alone seem to be meeting someone at their destination.

When he gets to New York, Macon begins his inspection of hotels. One owner mentions that the rooms are like a home away from home, to which Macon replies that nothing is really home and suggests that the hotel keep animal companions for their guests. Macon visits a restaurant that is many floors above the city. It’s pricey and seems to cater to special occasions. Macon notices he’s the only one alone. When he gazes out at the city, he feels the distance between himself and everyone he cares about—a feeling so jarring that he drops his wine glass.

Macon scrambles into the restroom, feeling sick and panicked. He gathers himself enough to call home on a payphone, surprised when Charles answers. Macon begs Charles to help him, saying he can’t get down from the tall building. Charles begs Macon to come home, revealing that he’s trapped in the pantry because Edward chased him into it. Macon asks to speak to Rose, and Charles reveals that Julian came by and took Rose out to dinner, surprising Macon. Macon asks for Porter, but it’s Porter’s visitation night with his children.

Charles threatens to have the police shoot Edward. Macon begs him not to and tells him that he’ll call Sarah to get Edward. Sarah doesn’t answer, so, desperate, Macon calls Muriel. Muriel promises to pick up Edward and talks Macon down from his panic. Feeling soothed, Macon returns to his table.

Chapter 10 Summary

Back in Baltimore, while training Edward, Muriel tells Macon all about her son, Alexander. Her pregnancy was the reason she’d married her ex-husband, Norman. They were still very young, and Alexander was a premature baby with many complications. Norman grew distant and eventually accused Alexander of not being his. When he left, Muriel and Alexander moved in with one of the women she met at the hospital. Muriel worked as a caregiver for her.

Porter’s children, Danny, Susan, and Liberty, come for the Thanksgiving holiday. Rose invites Julian to Thanksgiving dinner as well. She tries a new method of cooking the turkey at a low temperature for a long time, which causes Macon and his brothers to worry about the safety of the meat. When they bring up their concerns at dinner, Rose accuses them of trying to sabotage her chance at happiness with Julian.

The day after Thanksgiving, Muriel and Macon walk Edward around the neighborhood, reinforcing Edward’s good behaviors. Muriel wonders about what Martians would think if they observed the ER entrance at a hospital, seeing the best of humanity helping one another. Macon feels compelled to connect with Muriel in this moment and kisses her.

At Rose’s suggestion, Macon brings Susan with him to Philadelphia for a workday trip. On the train, Macon wonders if Ethan would be sitting where Susan is. They visit restaurants and hotels. At an inn, Susan, despite being 14, orders rum. Macon almost stops her, but then he decides it won’t harm her. Slightly drunk, Susan begins to reminisce about Ethan. It’s the first time Macon realizes that Ethan’s cousins also miss him. Susan rambles about her life, the boy she likes, and her plans to move out of her parents’ house as soon as possible, worried that her expecting mother will forget about her. Susan sleeps through the train ride home. When she wakes, she asks if Ethan would be mad that they’re starting to forget him.

Macon and Muriel spend the next day training Edward to wait outside of buildings while they go in. Muriel invites Macon to join her and Alexander for dinner the next day, to which Macon replies that he’s unsure. After visiting a few shops, Muriel tells Macon she needs to pick up Alexander from the hospital, where he’s been receiving treatment. Macon is uneasy but goes along. Alexander is bald and sickly and has a multitude of allergies and sensitivities. Muriel tells Macon that she’ll see him for dinner tomorrow. Macon doesn’t know how to tell her that he’ll never want to join her for dinner because he misses Sarah and Ethan and doesn’t feel he can ever replace them.

Chapter 11 Summary

Macon deliberates over how to reject Muriel’s invitation. He struggles to find the words because he’s never had to say aloud that Ethan was dead. He’s unsure how to approach the topic with Muriel. He almost calls her but hangs up anxiously. He decides to write her a letter. He leaves out the details and just tells her he won’t be able to go to dinner as something has come up. It’s nine at night, and Macon figures he’ll be able to drop the letter at her door.

Macon drives to Muriel’s place in a run-down area of town. As he places the letter on her door, Muriel calls from the inside that she has a shotgun pointed at his head. Macon identifies himself, and Muriel opens the door, revealing she has no shotgun. He gives her the letter. When she finishes reading it, he realizes he needs to be more honest with her. Struggling through his words, he tells her about Ethan’s death and how it pains him to go to dinner with people and speak to other people’s children.

Muriel pulls Macon into her house and embraces him. Macon tells her how he feels as though it’s only gotten harder. The people around him believe he’s moved past it, but it hurts more that he can go a whole day without thinking about Ethan. Macon says he feels distant from everyone and has no friends.

Muriel leads Macon to her bedroom. He tries to protest, but she assures him she just wants him to lie down and sleep. She tucks him in and then goes through the rest of the house to turn off the lights. She returns to the bedroom and joins him in bed. At one point in the night, Macon feels his fingers graze her Caesarean scar. He thinks she wanted him to feel it, so he would know she’s scarred too.

Chapter 12 Summary

Rose scolds Macon for being so inconsistent lately. She is upset that he never knows when he’ll be around for dinner or whether he’ll be home each night. He’s been spending much more time with Muriel. He picks up a pizza, snagging bits and toppings from it as he drives to Muriel’s place, making his hands and steering wheel sticky.

When he arrives, he greets Muriel’s neighbors, two twin 16-year-old girls who watch Alexander occasionally. It’s clear they’ve gotten to know him a bit. Alexander lets Macon inside because Muriel is on the phone with her mother. Macon meets her in the kitchen. Muriel continues her conversation, accusing her mother of not caring enough about Alexander because she never asks about his health. Muriel tells her mother she must go because Macon is there, making Macon feel good and noticed.

The next Monday, Macon visits Julian’s office to turn in pieces of his guidebook. He’s finished the Northeast and must start on the South soon. Julian shows Macon an engagement ring he’s picked out for Rose, planning to propose to her at Christmas. Macon agrees that it’s a nice ring.

Macon takes Muriel with him on his next plane ride. It’s a smaller, city-hopping plane. Muriel excitedly watches out the window. They discuss taking Alexander on a trip some time. As they look at the towns below them, Macon realizes that “every little roof concealed actual lives” (199).

Macon finds himself content in his relationship with Muriel. He’s gone back to habits and routines because she brings enough chaos to his life on her own. Her habits and youthfulness sometimes disturb Macon, but he likes who he is when he’s around her. One evening, as Macon tries to bond with Alexander by showing him how to fix a leaking faucet, Muriel asks if Macon will join her and her parents for Christmas dinner. Macon says he’s unsure, but Muriel presses on, offering multiple meat options, insisting her parents need to meet him. Macon enjoys the distraction that Alexander and the sink provide him while Muriel continues to press him about dinner. Though reluctant at first, Alexander finishes the sink and is proud of his work. Macon realizes he can’t really say no to Muriel and all her talking about Christmas dinner has him committed at this point.

Chapters 9-12 Analysis

Chapter 9 marks a turning point for Macon. After months of isolating himself from neighbors, friends, and acquaintances, Macon realizes just how distant he feels from everyone while visiting the skyscraper restaurant in New York City. The height and distance that separates him from the rest of the world serve as a metaphor for the distance Macon has put between himself and the people around him. Macon realizes, “He had somehow traveled to a point completely isolated from everyone else in the universe, and nothing was real but his own angular hand clenched around the sherry glass” (153), which leads to his panic attack and subsequent call home. While heavy in substance, this scene is dotted with comedy to soften the subject matter. For example, Macon considers the best way to get carried out of the restaurant, deciding that faking a coronary would be the most dignified. Macon also begs Charles to “get [him] out of here” (154) despite being in a city far from Charles. At the same time, Charles begs Macon to do something about Edward, and both brothers ignore the other’s pleas. This comedy is a deliberate choice by Anne Tyler and is used throughout the novel to juxtapose the seriousness of life with smaller, more comical moments, giving layers to the narrative.

Macon’s intense loneliness, coupled with Edward’s unruly behavior, acts as a catalyst for the return of Muriel. With no one else to call at the end of Chapter 9, Macon reaches out to Muriel, who solves both Macon’s and Charles’s problems. She promises to retrieve Edward and soothes Macon from his panicked, anxious state long enough for him to return to his table. Muriel’s assistance opens the door for Macon to begin to trust her and let her into his life a bit more. In Chapter 10, Muriel reciprocates this trust by allowing Macon to learn about Alexander and even introducing the two.

In addition to Muriel, Macon begins to allow others into his life. He brings his niece Susan on his day trip to Philadelphia, giving him a chance to bond with a child for the first time since Ethan’s death. Macon gains perspective on Ethan’s death when Susan brings Ethan up. She apologizes at first, saying, “I didn’t mean to talk about him” (174). However, Macon encourages her to continue, saying, “Nobody talks about him” (175). Susan explains that she and her siblings regularly discuss Ethan and what he’d think about things—they just don’t bring up Ethan around Macon. Macon realizes “that Ethan’s cousins missed him too” (174). It’s the first time Macon acknowledges that Ethan’s death is not his and Sarah’s burden alone.

Even with this development, Macon remains reserved around Muriel. Despite allowing her back into his life, Macon struggles to get over his hurdles, specifically when Muriel pushes him to come to dinner. Muriel brings up dinner at her home several times towards the end of Chapter 10, but Macon avoids giving her a straight answer because he is unsure how to tell her “that he would never be able to make that dinner” (186). Macon feels that letting Muriel and Alexander into his life would be “looking for substitutes” (186) for Sarah and Ethan. These emotions come to the surface in Chapter 11, when Macon finally tells Muriel about Ethan. Muriel meets Macon’s confession with compassion and tenderness. As they lie in her bed, she places his hand on her scar. Macon recognizes this gesture as a metaphor for the pain that having children can cause people.

By making Macon feel safe around her, Muriel gains access to more of Macon in Chapter 12. In direct opposition to Macon’s sentiments about finding substitutes for Sarah and Ethan, Macon begins to spend much of his time at Muriel’s place. He gets to know her neighbors, contrasting the way he was living in his own house, and makes efforts to connect with Alexander. The motifs of tourism and routine come up again in this chapter as Macon realizes how much he enjoys “the pattern of her life” (202) and describes Singleton Street, Muriel’s street, as a “foreign country” where “he was an entirely different person” (202). Macon surprises himself with his openness to Muriel’s life and family. Chapter 12 ends with a scene that mirrors Chapter 10, where Muriel pushes Macon to come to dinner at her place. Instead of feeling dread at having to reject Muriel’s invitation to have Christmas dinner with her parents, Macon feels committed to it without even giving Muriel an answer.