The Cross Country Flight

American Woman

This flow follows Jenny and Pauline’s escape from the farmhouse, their uneasy partnership on the road, and their return to California.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

The First Escape The First Escape from "American Woman". The First Escape A Sudden Separation Jenny drives away from the farmhouse with Pauline while Juan and Yvonne remain behind.

The First Escape from "American Woman". The First Escape A Sudden Separation Jenny drives away from the farmhouse with Pauline while Juan and Yvonne remain behind.

The First Escape A Sudden Separation Jenny drives away from the farmhouse with Pauline while Juan and Yvonne remain behind. The escape is both a rejection of the group’s violence and an act of desperate attachment to Pauline. A Call to Rob Frazer At a truck stop, Jenny tells Rob Frazer the manuscript is finished to bring him to them.

A Return to Wildmoor A Return to Wildmoor from "American Woman". A Return to Wildmoor Borrowed Transport Jenny returns toward Wildmoor, intending to replace The Bug with Dolly’s rarely driven car.

A Return to Wildmoor from "American Woman". A Return to Wildmoor Borrowed Transport Jenny returns toward Wildmoor, intending to replace The Bug with Dolly’s rarely driven car.

A Return to Wildmoor Borrowed Transport Jenny returns toward Wildmoor, intending to replace The Bug with Dolly’s rarely driven car. The journey reveals that she cannot simply sever every tie to the place and people she left behind. A Bargain with Dolly She negotiates to buy the car, while Pauline arrives fearing Jenny intends to betray her.

A Break at the Bridge A Break at the Bridge from "American Woman". A Break at the Bridge A Failed Parting Jenny tells Pauline to get out of the car and gives her money, convinced she must leave the fugitives’ violence behind.

A Break at the Bridge from "American Woman". A Break at the Bridge A Failed Parting Jenny tells Pauline to get out of the car and gives her money, convinced she must leave the fugitives’ violence behind.

A Break at the Bridge A Failed Parting Jenny tells Pauline to get out of the car and gives her money, convinced she must leave the fugitives’ violence behind. Pauline refuses, and Jenny’s resolve falters when she sees how helplessly the younger woman is breaking down. Choosing Companionship Jenny takes Pauline back into the car, choosing shared flight over a clean escape.

A Dangerous Road A Dangerous Road from "American Woman". A Dangerous Road Near Capture Jenny and Pauline endure a storm, a disabled car, and a major police response on a Missouri highway.

A Dangerous Road from "American Woman". A Dangerous Road Near Capture Jenny and Pauline endure a storm, a disabled car, and a major police response on a Missouri highway.

A Dangerous Road Near Capture Jenny and Pauline endure a storm, a disabled car, and a major police response on a Missouri highway. For a moment, the troopers’ presence makes capture seem inevitable, but the emergency is unrelated to them. A Promise Between Them Pauline promises she will not identify Jenny if they are caught, making their loyalty explicit.

Homeward to California Homeward to California from "American Woman". Homeward to California A Westward Drift Jenny and Pauline cross the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, and Nevada in a failing car.

Homeward to California from "American Woman". Homeward to California A Westward Drift Jenny and Pauline cross the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, and Nevada in a failing car.

Homeward to California A Westward Drift Jenny and Pauline cross the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, and Nevada in a failing car. They repeatedly consider other destinations, but their route increasingly bends toward the West Coast. Return to Familiar Ground The sight of San Pablo Bay settles their unspoken decision to return to California.

Immediately after the robbery

The night after the escape

The morning after the Wildmoor visit

During the first days westward

After nearly two weeks on the road