Introduction: “1.7 To Tennessee” by Jamie Quatro
“1.7 To Tennessee” by Jamie Quatro was first published in her debut short story collection, I Want to Show You More published in March 2013. This poignant story explores the mind of an elderly woman undertaking a simple errand that transforms into a journey of memories and introspection. Critics admire the story’s beautifully crafted prose, its nuanced portrayal of aging, and the quiet yet profound exploration of themes like loss, memory, and resilience.
Main Events in “1.7 To Tennessee” by Jamie Quatro
- Eva sets out on her daily walk – An elderly woman, Eva Bock, walks along Lula Lake Road, wearing headphones and carrying a letter for the President.
- Eva’s purpose is unclear – She struggles to remember why she walks this route, and even her own son’s death feels distant.
- Eva encounters distractions – A playful family interrupts her walk, reminding her of her inability to form strong opinions on current events.
- Memories fade, resolve weakens – Eva becomes disoriented, doubts her mission, and questions the point of her protest.
- Eva reaches a breaking point – She mistakenly believes the post office is uphill and struggles physically to continue.
- A dog leads to an accident – Startled by a dog, Eva falls down a hillside and is seriously injured.
- A vision before death – In her final moments, Eva has a vision filled with images of her son and the repeated word “Unanswerable”.
- Eva is discovered – The dog, Pearl, leads her owner to Eva’s body, beginning the chain of events that will inform the town of her passing.
- Assumptions are made – The town assumes Eva’s death was another tourist-related accident, fueling their dislike of outsiders.
- Eva’s letter is found – An EMT discovers Eva’s letter to the President, but it is almost discarded.
- A gesture of kindness – A compassionate worker reseals the letter and puts it in the outgoing mail.
- Eva’s death is honored – At Eva’s funeral, the town temporarily closes a main road, acknowledging her in a way they did not while she was alive.
- The President’s reply – Months later, a letter from President Bush arrives at the post office, addressed to the deceased Eva Bock.
- A moment of temptation – The postal worker considers opening the letter, knowing it’s illegal, but ultimately decides against it.
- A symbolic ending – The worker discards the unopened letter, underscoring the futility of Eva’s protest and the emptiness of the President’s response.
Literary Devices in “1.7 To Tennessee” by Jamie Quatro
| Device | Definition | Example | Explanation |
| Allusion | An indirect reference to a person, place, or event in history or literature | “She turned off the radio, though she left them hanging in an arc about her neck like a pair of headphones“ | This allusion to the stereotypical image of a musician with headphones evokes a sense of Eva’s alienation from her surroundings. |
| Anaphora | Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines or clauses | “The muscles of her face no longer betrayed any expression, so that it was difficult for anyone to tell if she was feeling friendly, which she usually was not.“ | The repetition of “which she” emphasizes the disconnect between Eva’s outward demeanor and her inner thoughts. |
| Assonance | Repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words | “She was eighty-nine—tall, bent forward from the waist. Her white pants hung from her hips so the hemlines of the legs pooled onto the tops of her tennis shoes.” | The repetition of the “e” sound creates a sense of rhythm and flow, reflecting the routine nature of Eva’s walk. |
| Consonance | Repetition of consonant sounds within nearby words | “She sat down, folding her hands around her knees. Only a quarter-mile, Miss Eva. How are you going to make it all the way into Tennessee?” | The repetition of the “k” and “m” sounds creates a hard, clipped effect, mirroring Eva’s physical limitations and growing fatigue. |
| Euphemism | A mild or indirect expression used in place of one considered too harsh or blunt | “They sent Thomas home in a body bag“ | The use of “body bag” instead of “coffin” softens the harsh reality of Thomas’s death. |
| Flashback | A scene that interrupts the present narration to show an earlier event | “When one of these memories broke over her, she would laugh and clap her hands against her thighs. One October morning, she stepped into the Mountain Market, flushed and shaking.“ | The flashback reveals a glimpse of Eva’s past happiness, highlighting the contrast with her present state. |
| Foreshadowing | A hint or suggestion of what will happen later in the story | “She turned off the radio, though she left them hanging in an arc about her neck.“ | Leaving the headphones on foreshadows Eva’s later isolation and disconnection from the world around her. |
| Imagery | Vivid descriptions that appeal to the reader’s senses | “The yellow dog sat on the bank beside the boys. Sunlight and shadow dappled the muddy water, the surface of which buoyed a thousand brightly colored leaves.“ | The imagery creates a clear picture of the scene, highlighting the peaceful beauty that surrounds Eva. |
| Irony | A contrast or discrepancy between expectations and reality | “The EMTs came not from the Walker County, Georgia, response unit six miles away, but from St. Elmo at the base of the mountain. It took seventeen minutes, during which time residents gathered and peered down the side of the hill. Dr. Bailey was called—he was young and took the steep hillside with ease—and was able to determine that Miss Eva was, indeed, deceased. Just the same, he administered CPR until the EMTs came. Everyone felt it was a heroic gesture.“ | The irony lies in the fact that CPR is administered to a deceased person, highlighting the futility of the effort and the characters’ misunderstanding of the situation. |
| Litotes | An understatement achieved by using a negative to express a positive | “She was not always sure if the thing had actually happened or if it was just something she read in a book.“ | This understatement suggests the profound impact of her son’s death, which she struggles to process. |
| Metaphor | A comparison between two things that are not alike but have something in common, without using “like” or “as” | “**The black spots floated up, and up, in front of her like a veil.” | The black spots are compared to a veil, suggesting a blurring of vision and a sense of impending darkness. |
| Metonymy | Substitution of the name of an attribute or adjunct for the thing itself | “The White House issued a statement.” | The speaker refers to the presidential administration by its location, “the White House.” |
Characterization in “1.7 To Tennessee” by Jamie Quatro
Major Characters:
- Eva Bock: An eighty-nine-year-old woman who embarks on a journey to deliver a letter protesting the war to President George W. Bush. Eva is characterized by her determination, resilience, and occasional lapses in memory about her past, including her deceased son Thomas. She is depicted as independent, proud, and principled, yet also vulnerable and haunted by past traumas.
Minor Characters:
- Quentin Jenkins: One of the McCallie boys who assists Eva by transcribing her letter to President Bush. He represents the younger generation willing to help the elderly.
- Jocelyn Corley: A newcomer to the neighborhood who interacts with Eva during her walk. Jocelyn attempts to engage with Eva and her family, showing a friendly and outgoing nature.
- Sharon Miller: The owner of the dog Pearl, who discovers Eva’s body after she falls down the hillside. Sharon’s actions prompt the emergency response and initiate the process of dealing with Eva’s accident.
- Steven Ruske: A hospital worker who receives the letter addressed to Eva Bock after her death. He reads the response from President Bush, illustrating the bureaucratic handling of Eva’s letter and the broader societal attitudes towards activism and political engagement.
Major Themes in “1.7 To Tennessee” by Jamie Quatro
Theme 1: The Loss of Identity and Fading Memory
- Eva’s struggle to remember her purpose: The story opens with Eva questioning her daily walk, reflecting a deeper uncertainty of who she is and why she matters.
- Inability to remember her son: Eva’s haunting inability to fully recall her dead son represents the erosion of her core identity as a mother, suggesting the tragic way memory loss strips away the layers of who we are.
- Blurring of present and past: Eva’s flashbacks and her confusing the present moment with bygone days underscore the fragility of memory and how the past can intrude upon or even replace our current sense of self.
Theme 2: Isolation and Disconnection in Old Age
- The headphones as a symbol: Eva wears headphones throughout her walk, symbolizing her disengagement from the community, representing a self-imposed isolation and inability to connect.
- Interactions with the community: Despite brief encounters with others, Eva remains an outsider, misunderstood by those around her and trapped in her own world.
- The final vision: Eva’s final vision of soldiers, including her son, emphasizes her isolation: they march forward without recognizing her, leaving her alone with a sense of irrelevance.
Theme 3: The Futility of Individual Protest
- Eva’s letter to the President: Eva’s determined walk to mail her protest letter symbolizes her desire to have a voice, but its ultimate fate reveals the futility of this act.
- Ironic death while protesting: Eva’s accidental death while exercising her right to protest highlights the disconnect between individual effort and actual change.
- The President’s empty reply: The letter from the White House, sent well after Eva’s death, underscores the emptiness of her gesture – her concerns remain unaddressed by those in power.
Theme 4: The Unanswered Questions of Life and Death
- Eva’s unresolved grief: Eva’s inability to truly grieve her son’s death haunts her, emphasizing the lingering pain of unanswered questions and lack of closure.
- Questioning the meaning of war: Eva struggles to understand the purpose of conflict, reflected in her repeated question “In the name of what?” to her deceased son and the soldiers in her vision.
- Final word as epitaph: The repeated word “Unanswerable” in Eva’s final vision suggests that death provides no answers, leaving an existential void that even protest and questioning cannot overcome.
Writing Style in “1.7 To Tennessee” by Jamie Quatro
Detached, Objective Narration:
- The narrator rarely delves into Eva’s inner thoughts directly. Instead, feelings are inferred through her actions and the observations of others.
- Example: “The muscles of her face no longer betrayed any expression, so that it was difficult for anyone to tell if she was feeling friendly, which she usually was not.”
- Stark, Simple Language:
- Short, declarative sentences and unadorned vocabulary create a sense of starkness.
- Example: “She had made up her mind to deliver it to the post office herself. She took great pride in the fact that she, an eighty-nine-year-old woman, still had things to say to the President of the United States.”
- Vivid Sensory Details:
- Descriptions engage sight, sound, and touch, grounding the reader in Eva’s experience.
- Example: “The air smelled of pipe tobacco and lard from the deep fryer…She could see the green and gold of Thomas’s eyes… The dog barked and Eva threw an arm over the ear that was facing upward.”
- Use of Symbolism:
- Objects and events take on deeper meaning.
- Examples:
- The headphones = Isolation
- Black spots = Blurring of reality, impending death
- The letter to the President = Futility of protest
- Shifting of Focus:
- The story transitions between Eva’s perspective, broader observations of the town, and even glimpses inside minor characters’ minds.
- Example: This transition occurs between Eva’s encounter with the family and her struggle climbing the hill.
- Understated Emotion:
- Powerful emotions like grief are shown, not told. The impact comes from the accumulation of details and the reader’s own interpretation.
- Example: Eva’s struggle to remember her son is never explicitly labeled as grief, but the reader feels the loss nonetheless.
- Bleak Ending:
- The story doesn’t offer resolution or comfort. It leaves readers with the haunting image of “unanswerable” echoing in the air.
- Example: This starkness reinforces themes of isolation, futility, and the mysteries of life and death.
Literary Theories and Interpretation of “1.7 To Tennessee” by Jamie Quatro
| Literary Theory | Interpretation |
| Psychoanalytic Criticism | Analyzes the characters’ subconscious desires and motivations, exploring themes of guilt, |
| desire, and repression. Examines how the characters’ internal conflicts drive the narrative. | |
| Feminist Criticism | Focuses on gender roles and power dynamics, highlighting how gender shapes the characters’ |
| experiences and relationships. Explores themes of agency, autonomy, and societal expectations. | |
| Marxist Criticism | Examines social class and economic structures within the narrative. Considers how economic |
| factors influence the characters’ lives and interactions. Explores themes of labor and | |
| exploitation, as well as issues of wealth disparity. | |
| Postcolonial Criticism | Explores the influence of colonialism and imperialism on the characters and setting. Analyzes |
| themes of identity, cultural hybridity, and resistance. Considers how colonial legacies | |
| shape power dynamics and relationships. | |
| Reader-Response Criticism | Focuses on the reader’s interpretation and response to the text. Considers how individual |
| readers’ backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives influence their understanding of the story. | |
| Deconstructionist Criticism | Deconstructs the text to reveal underlying binaries and contradictions. Challenges the |
| stability of meaning and highlights the ambiguity of language. Considers how language shapes | |
| our understanding of reality and the limitations of representation. |
Topics, Questions and Thesis Statements about “1.7 To Tennessee” by Jamie Quatro
Topic: Isolation and Aging
- Question: How does the story portray the unique challenges of aging, especially in terms of loneliness and feeling disconnected from society?
- Thesis Statement: “1.7 To Tennessee” illustrates the profound isolation experienced by many older adults, using Eva’s story to highlight how a loss of identity, fading memory, and a lack of connection with the community can lead to feelings of alienation and despair.
Topic: The Cost of War
- Question: How does the story subtly explore the human cost of war, even when the conflict is distant?
- Thesis Statement: “1.7 To Tennessee” uses Eva’s struggle to understand her son’s death as a poignant critique of war, emphasizing the lingering grief it inflicts on families and highlighting how unanswered questions about sacrifice can haunt those left behind.
Topic: Symbolic Elements
- Question: What are the key symbols in the story, and how do they contribute to the overall themes?
- Thesis Statement: Through the use of symbols like the headphones, the letter, and the black spots, “1.7 To Tennessee” explores themes of isolation, the futility of protest, and the encroaching darkness of both memory loss and death.
Topic: Memory and Identity
- Question: In what ways does memory shape Eva’s identity, and how does the loss of memory challenge her sense of self?
- Thesis Statement: “1.7 to Tennessee” demonstrates how memory is essential to constructing our identities; Eva’s fading memory of her son represents not just the loss of a loved one, but the erosion of her core identity as a mother.
Short Questions/Answers about “1.7 To Tennessee” by Jamie Quatro
- Q: Why does Eva Bock walk along Lula Lake Road each day?
- A: Initially, Eva herself cannot remember her reason for this daily ritual. The routine has become habit, a way to structure her days. However, as she undertakes her final walk, it’s revealed that she’s driven by a desire to protest against the war and make her voice heard, even symbolically. This forgotten purpose resurfaces as a driving force in her final moments.
- Q: What is the significance of Eva’s fading memory?
- A: Eva’s inability to remember her son and the circumstances of his death symbolizes a profound loss of identity. Her role as a mother defined her for so long, and without that memory, she struggles to understand who she is. Her fading memory also represents the fragility of the past and how our sense of self is tied to our ability to hold onto our own personal histories.
- Q: How does the story portray the relationship between Eva and her community?
- A: The story highlights Eva’s isolation and disconnect from those around her. She is simultaneously a familiar figure in the town yet remains an outsider. Even when interacting with others, there’s a sense of detachment and misunderstanding. This loneliness underscores the challenges that often accompany aging, particularly within a society that might not place value on older generations.
- Q: What message does the ending of the story convey?
- A: The ending is bleak and offers no comfort or resolution. Eva’s death, her unanswered questions, and the ultimate futility of her letter convey a sense of existential isolation. The unresolved nature of her protest highlights the limits of individual action against larger forces. It also leaves the reader with a poignant reminder of the unanswered questions that linger with life and death.
Literary Works Similar to “1.7 To Tennessee” by Jamie Quatro
- A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan: This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel explores the passage of time, fading memory, and the lingering impact of the past. Its fragmented narrative style adds a layer of complexity that echoes the disjointed nature of memory explored in “1.7 To Tennessee”.
- Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout: A collection of interconnected stories set in a small town, this work delves into the experiences of aging, loneliness, and the search for meaning in life for older characters. Its nuanced portrayal of complex emotions resonates with themes present in “1.7 To Tennessee.”
- Stoner by John Williams: This novel follows the seemingly unremarkable life of a college professor, subtly revealing themes of quiet desperation, tragedy, and unresolved grief mirroring those found in Eva’s story.
- The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro: Through the perspective of an aging butler, this novel explores themes of memory, regret, and missed opportunities. Similar to Eva, the protagonist grapples with understanding his past and the life choices he made.
- Gilead by Marilynne Robinson: This epistolary novel, written as a letter from a dying pastor to his son, examines themes of mortality, memory, and the desire to leave a meaningful legacy. Its introspective nature reflects some of the existential concerns raised in “1.7 To Tennessee.”
Suggested Readings: “1.7 To Tennessee” by Jamie Quatro
1. Primary Sources
- Quatro, Jamie. I Want to Show You More. New York: Grove Press, 2013. Print. (The story appears within this collection)
- Quatro, Jamie. Fire Sermon. New York: Grove Press. 2018. Print. (Quatro’s novel offers insight into her literary interests and themes)
2. Secondary Sources
- Reviews of I Want to Show You More: Search literary magazines and journals like The New York Review of Books, The Paris Review, or Ploughshares. Reviews will provide varied perspectives and potential analyses relevant to the story.
Representative Quotes from “1.7 To Tennessee” by Jamie Quatro
| Quote | Significance |
| “The muscles of her face no longer betrayed any expression, so that it was difficult for anyone to tell if she was feeling friendly, which she usually was not.” | Illustrates Eva’s isolation and disconnect from the community. |
| “One of her shoelaces was untied. The Lookout Mountain residents never honked.” | Underscores the peculiar dynamic of the community and Eva’s status as an outsider. |
| “Sometimes she forgot and said she didn’t know where the sweater came from, and when she said this, it was as true as when she told the story about the dead son.” | Emphasizes Eva’s fading memory and how truth becomes blurred and unreliable in her own mind. |
| “She’d had Quentin look it up on his laptop computer. Round trip: 3.4. She had not walked this far in twenty years.” | Highlights the extraordinary nature of this final walk and Eva’s surprising determination. |
| “Remember. But as soon as she tried there was only the road ahead of her…” | Captures the painful struggle to recall the past and the fleeting nature of memory. |
| “Something in the way the boys ran off . . . Eva felt as if a stack of papers were shifting inside her head.” | A subtle moment that foreshadows the disruption of Eva’s mental state in the story’s climax. |
| “…they were late for school but the mother did not seem in a hurry. The boy had hair like a mushroom cap and carried a long stick.” | Shows Eva’s fading attention, drawn towards simple, sensory details over the more complex interaction with the family. |
| “In the name of what?” | Eva’s central and unresolved question about her son’s death, underscoring the futility and senselessness of war. |
| “…now the black dog was bounding up the hillside. Eva saw him for only a second before he reached her. She did not have time to steady herself.” | Marks the decisive shift towards Eva’s tragic fall, emphasizing its suddenness and inevitability. |
| “The sons drifted past and out of her vision in a regular, stolid rhythm… The faces came on. She could see the green and gold of Thomas’s eyes. None of them saw her.” | Eva’s haunting final vision symbolizing her profound isolation and her unfulfilled need for recognition and connection. |
