The Accidental Tourist

The novel ‘The Accidental Tourist’ written by Ann Tyler demonstrates that initially change is always difficult. However it may become less complicated when unexpected relationships form and things happen. At the beginning of the novel Macon is portrayed as an orderly character caught up in almost a time warp. Through each of his relationships Macon is able to significantly change. He does this by learning to deal with people; who have trouble expressing their emotions, which insist on eating potatoes every night for dinner, and who dress exotically and dream of Paris in the springtime. Each relation is a challenge, which forced Macon to look deep inside himself and subsequently develop into a different, yet stronger person. Macon faces change which increasing courage, facing challenges that other choose to ignore.

Initially, Sarah musters up the courage to ask for a divorce from Macon. The confronting news, allows Macon to begin his transformation.. “ I want a divorce” “Id like to find a place of my own as soon as we get back” Macon. Sarah cannot comprehend Macon’s response to their sons’ death and sees it as coldness and an inability to communicate deep emotions. Ethan’s death permeates Sarah and Macon’s relationship. Instead of bringing them together as a couple, the murder exacerbated the contrast in their personalities to the point where Sarah is driven to despair by Macon’s reaction to it. This is an indication that Macon changing and moving on was easier said than done. “ You just go on your same old way like before. Your little routines and rituals, depressing habits day after day. No comfort at all” Sarah transforms her grief into anger; she believes the world is full of evil and resents the fact that it was Macon’s view all along. It is evident that Macon doesn’t like to change routine when Sarah makes him return to her when she is tired of living on her own. Sarah continues to badger him, by telling him what he thinks instead of listening to what he says. Even when Macon become angry with her, she persists telling him “The trouble with you is”. However Sarah did not realise that she was pushing him away, which provoked Macon to reconsider his relationship with Sarah. Sarah eventually decided to accept his unconventional ways and decision to separate, instead of moving on in her life. This was a clear indication that Sarah had struggled to accept the grief of Ethan’s death where as Macon had the audacity to begin the difficult journey of metamorphosis on his own.

Whilst Macon was struggling to live on his own, he breaks his leg and returns to his childhood home in a desperate attempt to simplify his life. Hoping to find comfort with his siblings, Macon re-enters their life of order and isolation from the world, as they ritualise everything and never ever answer the phone. This decision Macon has made proves how tough it is for Macon to take steps forward in his life rather than taking steps backwards into a systematic world removed the realism of the “real world”. His sister Rose, orders the pantry in an alphabetical order: "the all-spice next to the ant rid" and the 10' x 12' envelopes that are supposed to be 9'x 10' so it's a neater package. She says: "I do hate when things are out of alignment. The regular routines he now re-adopts still can’t bring the happiness he so dearly desires. Macon’s siblings; Porter, Charles and Rose revert to their childhood games “Vaccination”, tastes and tendency to be mothered by Rose. Rose has the confidence to finally take risk and escape the restrictions of the Leary home, which meant no more abandoning the needs of her brothers. However, soon after she moves into an apartment with her new ‘husband’ Julian she soon returns back to the Leary house, as she couldn’t let “the boys” look after themselves. This obsessiveness is a psychological response to her mother, Alicia style of mothering. It is obvious that moving on; away from family rituals is something of a thorny experience for each member of the family. Consequently, Macon mopes through each day, resisting any attempt to bring him out of his shell.

Macon