All Roads Lead Nowhere

All Roads Lead Nowhere

In both “Sawdust” by Chris Offutt and “Hunting Husbands” by Jo Carson, we see characters willing to go to great lengths to try and get what they think they want in life. Nonetheless, they appear to be trapped in an endless cycle, and it appears for them as though all roads lead nowhere. Despite the effort each makes to try to escape the life given to them, the battle they are fighting is one in which they seem destined to lose.

“Sawdust” takes place in a small Appalachian community where people live very simple lives, and those who are born there rarely ever leave. “Sawdust” revolves around a young man named Junior who decides that he wants to try to pass the GED test, the equivalent to earning a high school degree. Junior feels that with passing the GED test, he will earn the respect of many throughout the community, and will have the qualifications needed to get a good job outside of the community. As we later find out, and to his surprise, quite the opposite is actually true. The story begins with Junior explaining that not a single person from his community, including himself, has finished high school: “Around here,” Junior says, “a man is judged by how he acts, not how smart he’s supposed to be” (Offutt 3). We first get a glimpse of what Junior’s future has in store for him when we learn about Warren, Junior’s older brother. Warren is a high school dropout who found himself a simple job that pays just enough to get by. He tells Junior that all he is good for is taking care of their mother. At one point in the story Junior describes his father’s suicide and hints at his fear of ending up like his dad when he gets older. This is when we first begin to see that Junior is not like the other people of the community, and is not content with the life laid out for him: “Around here, we’re mostly brown. I wouldn’t mind talking to somebody of another color but they don’t ever come around these parts. Nobody does. This is a place people move away from” (6).

Like “Sawdust,” “Hunting Husbands” also takes place in a small Appalachian community where no one’s future appears overly promising. The story involves two women who seemingly live unhappy lives married to men whom they do not love. As in “Sawdust” the main character in this story does not seem to be content with her life, and is willing to take drastic measures to try to improve it. We are told the story from the point of view of the main character, a middle aged woman with children, referred to as “June Bug.” Much the same way as Junior saw the GED as a possible way to change the life laid out for him, June Bug sees this kind of opportunity in the form of a road trip. Rowena, June Bug’s good friend who is also unhappy with her life, proposes the idea of going on a road trip in search of new and better men. Rowena describes the activity as hunting husbands. After some convincing, June Bug gives in, and they pack up the car with the children, and without telling their husbands anything, are on their way. Along the way, June Bug begins to reconsider what she’s doing and Rowena senses this. Trying to convince her to not back out Rowena says, “June Bug, you got a pair of the biggest assets in Tennessee and you’ve been sitting at home waiting for them to sag or Gene (her husband) to get there, whichever comes first, and I can tell you which it’s likely to be” (Carson 43). From this quote we are able to see why June Bug is willing to go on this trip, for it appears that with the life she is living as of now, she is essentially just waiting to die.

Initially both the GED test and the road trip appear to be good ideas. June Bug is full of enthusiasm as they hit the road, and Junior couldn’t be more anxious to take the test: “Most people run from a snake without ever knowing if it was poison or just alive. The GED was the same way” (Offutt 7). Both characters feel that they are taking the right course of action and will end up better off for it. As we later see though, both characters are only to be let down.

The people of both communities are not particularly happy with the actions which both June Bug and Junior are taking. June Bug knows that her husband will be furious if and when she returns, and fears the way others will come to think of her. The reaction Junior receives from the community is even harsher. When he walks in to VISTA, the test center in the nearest town, the lady behind the desk gives him one glance and says, ““The barbershop is next door” (Offutt 7). When he tells his mother of his idea she tells him he should think about reading the bible instead of fixing to get learned. Warren ridicules Junior as well and tells him that GED stands for Get Even Dumber. A group of kids make fun of Junior and pick a fight with him all while sarcastically