Transience


Living from boxcar to boxcar? That means no immediate access to showers, food, Netflix, toilets, beds, etc. Honestly, what’s the appeal? I don’t see it. I don’t understand transients in the same way that I don’t understand monks. But there probably is an appeal, because otherwise like why would people do it. I decided to do some research on what makes people pursue a lifestyle that means giving up all those human comforts that we are so attached to. Unfortunately people on quora were really unhelpful, so I’ll just think of some possibilities.
1.      Because society is meaningless
Ruth sometimes reminded me of Holden Caulfield. Holden didn’t like the b.s. he sensed in the fronts people put up. He wanted to get away from it all. Ruth could have joined in with the popular dress-making girls, but she didn’t see a point. Both of them were overwhelmed by the pointlessness of a lot of the things people do in an attempt to cohabitate. Ruth wanted to get away from it all.
2.      Because people let her down
A lot of people died in Ruth’s life, which must have struck her with a realization of how impermanent everything is. At some point she probably realized there’s no point in trying to build connections and set down roots because it can all disappear in a flash. Maybe the final straw was Lucille leaving, who might have been Ruth’s last tether to the possibility of permanence.
3.      Because she never got hooked
Ruth’s had a pretty crappy life, obviously, because everyone she loves dies or leaves. But besides that it’s still pretty crappy—her childhood seems vaguely joyless, given that she spends hours on a leash. I doubt she got the fun that children are supposed to have, and she probably became an adult a bit too soon. Then her mom committed suicide, and her life remained joyless. Fingerbone is not a fun place to live, because houses flood and you have to live in a diseased swamp for months and then everything’s moldy. I don’t think Ruth every really got hooked on human comforts. She never really expected dryness or hot meals or fun. Maybe that’s why it was easier for her to forsake those things and become a transient.
Those are a couple possibilities. If you have any thoughts or theories, feel free to leave a comment below. Don’t forget to hit that thumbs up and subscribe if you liked this video.

Comments

  1. 羅　理愛　（スミトロ　リア）April 5, 2019 at 9:40 PM

    I agree with all of these, and I also think that living with Sylvie really made her appreciate and accept the unavoidable idea of change. She heard first-hand how at peace Sylvie was with her own boxcar life, and she learned how to coexist with the chaos around her as it's something she has seen and believes that she will continue to see with her tragic experience with loss of loved ones. If Sylvie didn't enter her life and introduce the idea of transience to her, I'm not sure if she would have become a "millennial presence" to this extent.

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  2. OthnielApril 7, 2019 at 9:34 PM

    As crazy as giving up human comforts can sound, it also sounds really peaceful and relaxing. Throughout the book, no matter what happens, Sylvie still remains calm and doesn't worry about anything. She is the epitome of ideal stress-free life. That makes being a transient seem really enticing.

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  3. EmmaApril 22, 2019 at 1:37 PM

    I also don't understand transience. The best part of life to me is the relationships I have with other people. People are what help me get through whatever is dragging me down. That's why I think Sylvie's way of living is a coping mechanism more than anything else. Perhaps now it's how she truly wants to live now, but seeking comfort from others is such a human thing, it must've started out as a way to prevent being hurt again.

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  4. MitchellApril 29, 2019 at 10:39 AM

    They don't have Netflix (it is like the 1960s), but Ruth does say that she and Sylvie "see all the movies." They put down temporary roots in a town, rent a hotel room or apartment on a weekly or monthly basis, and work transient kinds of jobs like waitressing at truck stops. It's not a *total* removal from society--although there are some analogies to monks on retreat, emphasized further with Ruth's very spiritual articulation of Sylvie's "philosophy." They don't live in a way that's entirely devoid of comfort or entertainment--and we get the idea that there's a good deal of leisure, that they aren't stressed or ambitious or in any kind of hurry ever. But there is a total removal from "society" in the sense that they are presumed dead, have no more ties to any kind of extended family or friend network, and they never stay in any place long enough to put down roots.

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