Redhead by the Side of the Road

Chapters 3 and 4 deal primarily with Micah’s breakup with Cass and the fallout from it. In Chapter 3, Cass ends their three-year relationship, citing Micah’s willingness to put a strange teen in his guest room but not invite her to move in as her reason for the breakup. This interpretation furthers the theme of misconceptions. Micah allowed Brink to stay over because Brink asked, and Micah was put in an awkward position, having to choose between allowing Brink to stay or kicking this mysterious teenager out on the streets. Micah did not think about Cass’s situation at all while making this decision. Cass admits that this might have been a subconscious decision, but she firmly believes Micah “made very sure to arrange things so it would be awkward for [her] to move in with [Micah]” (65). Though it seems one way to Cass, Micah never intended for his decision to come off that way. At the same time, he never thought about what implications his choice might have on his own girlfriend. 

Misconceptions also arise earlier in Chapter 3, when Micah visits Luella Carter to install grab bars in her bathroom. Luella seems to be in denial about her health issues when she tells Micah all about her plans with her knitting group for later in the year. Micah believes that Luella doesn’t accept her circumstances, and he doesn’t “see how she could possibly hope to attend a picnic out in the country, let alone fix her own soup” (61). However, Luella proves Micah wrong when she brazenly admits that her doctor told her that her condition is incurable. She also admits she’s “not angry at God, exactly. But I’m angry” (62), indicating that she does understand her anger comes from her circumstances. This leaves Micah feeling “ashamed that he’d assumed she didn’t realize” the source of her anger (62). 

Through Micah’s interactions with Luella, Brink, and Cass, the theme of loss is presented in Chapter 3. Micah loses Brink as a houseguest by presenting Brink with an ultimatum. Shortly after Brink leaves, Cass breaks up with Micah, further isolating Micah from those around him and those he cares about. At the end of Chapter 3, Micah allows his anger at this loss to overcome him while he aggressively stomps his neighbors’ cardboard boxes flat. In Chapter 4, while still grappling with these changes, Micah describes his feelings as a “nagging ache in the hollow of his chest” (93). Luella’s loss builds on this theme, as well. Though she doesn’t lose any people in her life—she is still close to her knitting group even if she cannot leave the house—she has begun to lose the freedom and mobility that she used to have. She has an incurable illness that makes it so she cannot leave her third-story apartment. She also requires grab bars to assist her in the bathroom. On top of everything, she is losing sleep, struggling to get to sleep at night while her husband snores beside her. Luella’s response to her loss parallels Micah’s when she admits she’s angry. 

Chapter 4 takes place entirely at Ada’s house. The chapter shifts the focus to Micah’s breakup with Cass by contrasting Micah’s family’s reaction to Micah and their affections for Cass. The contrast between Micah and his family is presented early in the chapter as Micah observes the clutter and chaos around Ada’s house—an opposing image to Micah’s immaculate, minimalist apartment. Ada, as well as the rest of Micah’s sisters, is characterized by her “boundless tolerance for clutter” (70-71). When Micah reveals the news of his breakup with Cass, many members of the large, extended family become upset, serving to emphasize the special connection that Cass had with them. Ada responds, saying “But we loved Cass! [...] You are never, ever again going to find anyone else as right for you” (73). Joey adds that Lily would have loved Cass, and Norma’s daughter, Amy, mentions Cass planning to help with her college applications. Later, Ada brings up how Cass helped one of her grandchildren learn to read. Through these stories, it becomes clear how highly Micah’s family thought of Cass and how close they had grown to her over the years. In contrast, Micah worries that his family believes he’s a “weirdo” (80), which is reinforced by how they poke fun at his meticulous cleaning schedule. Joey explains to Lily that “Uncle Micah’s kind of…finicky” (74), and Suze’s husband, Dave, asks if Thursday is “vacuuming day? Is it dusting day? Is it scrub-the-baseboards-with-a-Q-tip day?” (74). These interactions, as well as the laughter that follows from the family, show the way they view Micah’s cleanliness and how they otherize him. Their relationships with Cass are also far more substantive than Micah’s own relationship with Cass, adding fuel to Micah’s feelings of guilt and unease at the breakup.

Finally, the theme of parental concern comes up in this chapter when Micah explains the situation with Brink. Micah’s siblings all agree that Micah owes it to Lorna to let her know Brink is alive. These sentiments are paralleled when Micah asks Carl, Liz’s son, about the cast on his arm. Liz has a dramatically concerned reaction to the story Carl tells about driving with his friends while trying to transport a mattress. Liz says things like, “Why you’re even alive to tell the tale—” (85) and “I don’t want this mentioned in my presence ever, ever again” (86). Liz is so stressed by the idea of her son being in a dangerous situation, she can barely function when the story is told. Liz’s reaction hints at the way Lorna might be feeling about Brink’s disappearance. These interactions with his family help Micah decide to reach out to Lorna by the end of Chapter 4.