Joe Williams and Del

1919

This flow traces Joe Williams and Del from hopeful courtship through marriage, separation, and unresolved emotional attachment.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

A First Promise A First Promise from "1919". A First Promise A possible home Joe Williams meets Del in Norfolk and imagines that a steady job and marriage might turn his wandering life into a home.

A First Promise from "1919". A First Promise A possible home Joe Williams meets Del in Norfolk and imagines that a steady job and marriage might turn his wandering life into a home.

A First Promise A possible home Joe Williams meets Del in Norfolk and imagines that a steady job and marriage might turn his wandering life into a home. Different measures of success Del values security and advancement, while Joe resists the idea that a life at sea makes him a failure. Their attraction begins alongside this mismatch.

Engagement and Departure Engagement and Departure from "1919". Engagement and Departure A rushed decision Joe Williams and Del marry after he secures the prospect of an officer’s berth.

Engagement and Departure from "1919". Engagement and Departure A rushed decision Joe Williams and Del marry after he secures the prospect of an officer’s berth.

Engagement and Departure A rushed decision Joe Williams and Del marry after he secures the prospect of an officer’s berth. The ceremony is awkward, and their first hours together are interrupted by his imminent sailing. Intimacy postponed Del fears pregnancy and delays sex, while Joe leaves believing marriage has finally secured a place for him. Their expectations are already out of step.

Distance and Doubt Distance and Doubt from "1919". Distance and Doubt Letters and absence Joe Williams writes from sea, while Del’s replies sound increasingly cool and practical.

Distance and Doubt from "1919". Distance and Doubt Letters and absence Joe Williams writes from sea, while Del’s replies sound increasingly cool and practical.

Distance and Doubt Letters and absence Joe Williams writes from sea, while Del’s replies sound increasingly cool and practical. His longing grows as he imagines a family they have not managed to begin. Competing lives Del takes up work and social activity at home; Joe cannot tell whether she wants him or the security he might provide. Separation makes suspicion easier than honest understanding.

The Shavetail Incident The Shavetail Incident from "1919". The Shavetail Incident A painful reunion Joe Williams returns sick and broke, finding Del more confident and entangled in a bustling wartime social world.

The Shavetail Incident from "1919". The Shavetail Incident A painful reunion Joe Williams returns sick and broke, finding Del more confident and entangled in a bustling wartime social world.

The Shavetail Incident A painful reunion Joe Williams returns sick and broke, finding Del more confident and entangled in a bustling wartime social world. Her affection is real, but her attention is divided. Jealousy becomes rupture When Joe sees Del with an officer, he attacks him. Del condemns Joe’s behavior and his failure to serve at the front; Joe leaves rather than accept a marriage that now feels humiliating.

A Marriage Left Behind A Marriage Left Behind from "1919". A Marriage Left Behind No clean ending Joe Williams does not tell his family the full story of his marriage and rarely speaks plainly about Del.

A Marriage Left Behind from "1919". A Marriage Left Behind No clean ending Joe Williams does not tell his family the full story of his marriage and rarely speaks plainly about Del.

A Marriage Left Behind No clean ending Joe Williams does not tell his family the full story of his marriage and rarely speaks plainly about Del. His memories continue to shape his hopes for a home. The cost of escape He leaves the relationship without resolving what either of them wanted. The separation frees him from immediate humiliation but not from loneliness or regret.

During Joe Williams’s return to Norfolk

Before Joe Williams sails for France

During Joe Williams’s wartime voyages

After Joe Williams returns to Norfolk

After Joe Williams leaves Norfolk