If It Makes You Happy

“I wonder if they’re happy. Allen and I decided—as a unit, like we always did—to not have children. We protected our careers and the nice townhome that couldn’t withstand crayons on the walls. Our rugs were too expensive for spilled milk. Children were too wild, and we were too…not.”

Michelle muses on the possibilities of family life the first time she sees Cliff with his daughters at Birdie’s wake. She finds herself questioning her decision not to have children. Her reflections on her child-free life encapsulate her ambitious lifestyle; she has chosen not to pursue a domestic future in the name of vocational success. She considers these choices with some melancholy, embodying the Conflict Between Ambition and Rootedness. The passage thus foreshadows the life Michelle will eventually pursue with Cliff in Copper Run.

“Along the sidewalks are A-frame chalkboards listing daily specials. Hanging wooden signs from awnings point out shops, like a pharmacy, a video store, and a bakery. Most floor-to-ceiling glass storefronts are decorated with window murals of more scarecrows and pumpkins. Another lattice sign beside the park reads COPPER RUN, as if we might have forgotten already.”

Michelle’s first-person point of view provides a detailed overview of Copper Run. Because Michelle is new to the rural New England town, she is keenly attuned to her surroundings when she first arrives. She is studying the passing scenes through the cab window, and noting all of the homey, cozy details that make Copper Run itself. Michelle is unfamiliar with such a quaint landscape, and can’t help feeling out of place. The moment establishes a contrast between Copper Run and Seattle, underscoring the differences between Michelle’s former and future lives.