The story of "Train" by Alice Munro was first published in 2012 in Harper's magazine. This story mainly follows a man called Jackson; the man remains the focus of the whole story. We are introduced to Jackson for the first time when he jumps off a train, and he is not sure of where to go next. Munro then reveals to the reader that Jackson is approaching his home town after coming back from being enlisted to serve in the Second World War. From this story, it becomes difficult to demonstrate the role of war as the central theme as well as the source of change. The main issues in the story are sexuality as well as sexual abuse. Although both sexual abuse, together with war, are acts that involve an individual without his or her consent and further alters the ability of the individual to function correctly in society.
In the story, there is also the characterization of the creepy Mennonites as well as of Belle. The Mennonites were haunting collective from the beginning when they were introduced to the reader and their particular presence in the region where Belle was residing provided The Village-esque feeling to the setting of the story. Belle is also an interesting character with most of the description focusing on her history together with her present, and the major part of the story was in Belle's house. In doing this, the writer misdirects the reader away from Jackson and the bad choices he makes in the story. The use of the third person in some section of the tale distances Jackson from any strong personal relationships. The train is symbolic as well as a literal escape device that outlines the inability of Jackson to settle.
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