In the White Night by Ann Beattie
"In the White Night" by Ann Beattie is a poignant short story that unfolds over the course of a brief journey taken by the main characters, Carol and Vernon, as they leave a party and drive home through the snow. The narrative intricately weaves Carol's reflections on her past and present, touching on themes of memory, loss, and familial relationships. As she recalls moments from the party, her thoughts shift to her daughter Sharon, who tragically died from leukemia, and the impact of that loss on both her and Vernon.
The story also contrasts the couple's experiences with those of their friends, Matt and Gaye Brinkley, particularly highlighting the challenges brought by their daughter Becky. This comparison evokes deeper contemplations on the randomness of life events and the pursuit of solace amid grief. The ending scene, where Carol finds comfort in the presence of Vernon, encapsulates a moment of shared vulnerability, further underscoring the lasting effects of absence and the quest for understanding within their relationship. Through its exploration of domestic realism, "In the White Night" invites readers to reflect on the interplay of joy and sorrow in everyday life.
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In the White Night by Ann Beattie
First published: 1984
Type of plot: Domestic realism
Time of work: A winter night, evidently in the 1980's
Locale: A suburb or town
Principal Characters:
Carol , andVernon , who have been married twenty-two yearsMatt and Gaye Brinkley , their longtime friendsSharon , Carol and Vernon's daughter, who is deadBecky Brinkley , Matt and Gaye's daughter
The Story
Ann Beattie's story narrates the events of scarcely more than half an hour, the time that it takes Carol and Vernon to leave a party at the home of their friends Matt and Gaye Brinkley, drive home through the snow, and lie down to sleep. The story takes on greater spaciousness, however, because of its focus on the consciousness of Carol, whose thoughts range through time and among a number of persons and events. She thinks first of the party and of a childish game that Matt Brinkley had played (significantly, the game is called "Don't think about . . ."), and by association moves to thoughts about her daughter, Sharon, and Becky Brinkley when they were very young together, and from that to an account of Becky at present, and then to a reminiscence of Sharon's death from leukemia and that trauma's continued effect on Vernon despite his dedication to optimism. After all this, Carol returns to the present to ask Vernon if Matt had mentioned Becky; he answers that nothing was said of that "sore subject."
The narrative breaks and then takes up a comparison between the two married couples: Vernon claims with some seriousness that the Brinkleys are their alter egos, suffering crises in their stead. Clearly, he refers to the many difficulties Becky Brinkley has brought into their lives, and thus obliquely refers to the death of Sharon and the absence of children in his and Carol's lives. This thought makes Carol consider the randomness of events and the impossibility of finding sanctuary. At home, she disguises the fact that she is crying, hides for a few moments in a bathroom to compose herself, and emerges to find Vernon asleep on a sofa, her coat "spread like a tent over his head and shoulders." Carol lies down on the floor under his coat, and her last waking thought is of Sharon as an angelic witness who could understand the significance of this tableau of sleepers.
Bibliography
Centola, Steven R. "An Interview with Ann Beattie." Contemporary Literature 31 (Winter, 1990): 405-422.
Friedrich, Otto. "Beattieland." Time 135 (January 22, 1990): 68.
Hill, Robert W., and Jane Hill. "Ann Beattie." Five Points 1 (Spring/Summer, 1997): 26-60.
McCaffery, Larry, and Sinda Gregory. "A Conversation with Ann Beattie." Literary Review 27 (Winter, 1984): 165-177.
Montresor, Jaye Berman, ed. The Critical Response to Ann Beattie. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1993.
Murphy, Christina. Ann Beattie. Boston: Twayne, 1986.
Plath, James. "Counternarrative: An Interview with Ann Beattie." Michigan Quarterly Review 32 (Summer, 1993): 359-379.
Schneiderman, Leo. "Ann Beattie: Emotional Loss and Strategies of Reparation." American Journal of Psychoanalysis 53 (December, 1993): 317-333.
Young, Michael W., and Troy Thibodeaux. "Ann Beattie." In A Reader's Companion to the Short Story in English, edited by Erin Fallon, R. C. Feddersen, James Kurtzleben, Maurice A. Lee, Susan Rochette-Crawley, and Mary Rohrberger. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2001.