The Bunchgrass Edge of the World by E. Annie Proulx
"The Bunchgrass Edge of the World" by E. Annie Proulx is a poignant exploration of isolation and familial duty set against the stark backdrop of northwestern Wyoming's bunchgrass region. The narrative follows the Touhey family, particularly focusing on Ottaline, who finds herself trapped between her responsibilities on the ranch and her yearning for connection. As the only reliable worker in her family, Ottaline's contributions are often overlooked, leading to a profound sense of loneliness exacerbated by her tumultuous relationships with her mother and the unfulfilled aspirations of her siblings.
The story reveals her internal struggles through her interactions with the landscape and the inanimate, including conversations with a junked tractor, symbolizing her desire for companionship and understanding. As tensions mount within the family, an unexpected encounter with the cattle buyer’s son, Flyby, offers a glimmer of hope for Ottaline's future. However, the tragic loss of her father leaves her to navigate a path defined by the same limitations she has always faced. Proulx's tale ultimately underscores themes of resilience and the complexities of identity within the rigid confines of family and environment, inviting readers to reflect on the profound impacts of place and circumstance on individual lives.
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The Bunchgrass Edge of the World by E. Annie Proulx
First published: 1999
Type of plot: Domestic realism, regional
Time of work: The 1980's
Locale: Rural Wyoming
Principal Characters:
Ottaline Touhey , a member of a ranching familyOld Red , her ninety-six-year-old grandfatherAladdin , her fatherWauneta , her motherFlyby Amendinger , a cattle buyer's son whom she marries
The Story
The story opens by establishing the heritage of the Touhey family. Old Red, the ninety-six-year-old patriarch, along with his Vietnam War veteran son Aladdin and family, raise sheep and cattle in the arid bunchgrass region of northwestern prairie land in Wyoming. Grandson Tyler and granddaughter Shan, siblings of Ottaline, leave their home, proving themselves to be unreliable ranch workers. In contrast, Ottaline has little choice but to stay home and join her father as the primary workforce on the ranch. The narration suggests her numerous skills for working the place, but the loneliness of her existence becomes more pronounced as time goes by. References to her weight problem accentuate her isolation. She endures insults from her mother and serves as an often unappreciated laborer for her father. Her connection to the world outside the ranch is limited to listening to vulgar conversations on the police scanner. Her interior life diminishes to the point that she converses with a junked tractor.
As the story moves toward resolution, Ottaline is required by her father to show the cattle to a buyer because of her father's illness. In an ironic turn, the cattle buyer's son, Flyby, unexpectedly shows up in his father's place. He recognizes Ottaline's knowledge of cattle, confesses his own loneliness, and decides to marry her. Shortly thereafter, Aladdin wrecks his airplane and dies. Old Red understands then that Ottaline will take her father's place and manage the ranch. Her existence will continue to be defined within the parameters she has always known.