Traveler by Ellen Gilchrist
"Traveler" by Ellen Gilchrist is a coming-of-age story that follows the journey of LeLe Arnold, a high school student from Indiana, who spends a transformative summer with her cousin Baby Gwen in Mississippi. Initially eager to escape her recent disappointments, particularly being passed over for a cheerleading position, LeLe sees this trip as an opportunity to reinvent herself. Upon arrival, she immerses herself in the social scene, indulging in activities like sunbathing and playing bridge, and becomes enamored with a local boy, Fielding Reid.
As she navigates her newfound social life, LeLe grapples with her self-image and the pressures of appearance. However, when Fielding confronts her about her weight, it triggers a series of lies that further complicate her quest for acceptance. A pivotal moment occurs when she decides to participate in a challenging swim across the lake, empowering her and reinforcing her desire to be seen as beautiful and adventurous. By the end of the summer, despite returning home with embellished tales of her experiences, LeLe is left reflecting on her transformation and the fleeting nature of her summer identity. The story encapsulates themes of self-discovery, societal expectations, and the complexities of adolescence.
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Traveler by Ellen Gilchrist
First published: 1980
Type of plot: Domestic realism
Time of work: After World War II
Locale: Mississippi
Principal Characters:
LeLe Arnold , the teenage narrator and protagonistBaby Gwen Barksdale , her cousinFielding Reid , her love interest
The Story
When LeLe Arnold, an Indiana high school student, is invited to spend the summer with her cousin Baby Gwen in Mississippi, she is thrilled. She was recently passed over in a cheerleader election because, she believes, she was regarded as somewhat overweight. She sees Mississippi as a place where she can start over and become a different and more popular person. Immediately on arrival she begins to work on her reputation by telling her cousin that she did make the cheerleading squad and the football team saw her off at the train station.
LeLe and Baby Gwen spend their days sunbathing, playing bridge, and entertaining the boys who call on them. LeLe is attracted to one in particular, Fielding Reid, and about the time that she is beginning to believe her own publicity, that she is special, Fielding finally invites her to go out with him alone. LeLe can hardly contain her excitement but is sorely disappointed when Fielding tells her he has asked her out to talk to her about her weight, which he says is keeping her from being as beautiful as she might be. To save face, LeLe again resorts to lying, telling him that she has a thyroid condition.
When Fielding announces that it is time for his annual swim across the lake, LeLe offers to swim with him against Baby Gwen's protest that it is not a feat suitable for girls. The water empowers LeLe: She feels thin, beautiful, even perfect, and she accomplishes the swim with no trouble, her reputation as "the wildest girl in Mississippi" solidified.
When she returns home with Baby Gwen, LeLe learns that her parents are coming for her. Soon she is back in Indiana, telling a friend there that she was practically engaged to a rich plantation owner's son, while "trying to remember how the water turned into diamonds in her hands."