Ballad of the Sad Cafe and Other Stories Community Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Story.Paragraph)

Quote #10

There were always plenty of people clustered around a mill—but it was seldom that every family had enough meal, garments, and fat back to go the rounds. Life could become one long dim scramble just to get the things needed to keep alive. (Ballad.179)

There is an impoverishment and pain to this moment that, like the racism of the day, occurs only on the outskirts of the story. Why do you think these issues weren't brought to the fore?

Quote #11

The people in the town were likewise proud when sitting at the tables in the café. They washed before coming to Miss Amelia's, and scraped their feet very politely on the threshold as they entered the café. (Ballad.180)

There is a special code of conduct in the café, as particular and learned as a tea ceremony, if not quite as historically regarded.

Quote #12

So the fight was to take place at seven o'clock. This was known to everyone, not by announcement or words, but understood in the unquestioning way that rain is understood, or an evil odor from the swamp. (Ballad.209)

This certainly is a romantic way to put things. Is this a moment of magic, a dramatic overstatement, or the story turning a bit mythical?