Frazer and Carol’s Marriage

American Woman

This flow traces the familiar domestic bargain between Rob Frazer and Carol as his rescue mission pulls him away from their shared life.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

A Domestic Script A Domestic Script from "American Woman". A Domestic Script Ordinary Requests Rob Frazer calls Carol about milk while she is managing a difficult situation at home.

A Domestic Script from "American Woman". A Domestic Script Ordinary Requests Rob Frazer calls Carol about milk while she is managing a difficult situation at home.

A Domestic Script Ordinary Requests Rob Frazer calls Carol about milk while she is managing a difficult situation at home. Their familiar exchanges offer him a stable routine, but also reveal how easily his needs and plans dominate the conversation. Intimacy Through Habit He values Carol’s predictability even when he resents her failure to attend fully to his work.

A Crisis at Home A Crisis at Home from "American Woman". A Crisis at Home Carol’s Burden Carol is left to manage Pauline’s fear and agitation while Rob Frazer searches for Jenny.

A Crisis at Home from "American Woman". A Crisis at Home Carol’s Burden Carol is left to manage Pauline’s fear and agitation while Rob Frazer searches for Jenny.

A Crisis at Home Carol’s Burden Carol is left to manage Pauline’s fear and agitation while Rob Frazer searches for Jenny. She describes the strain in comic, impatient detail, but her worry is real and increasingly difficult to contain. A Familiar Imbalance Rob Frazer treats her narration as entertainment until her inability to focus on him irritates him.

A Safe House Arranged A Safe House Arranged from "American Woman". A Safe House Arranged Practical Support Carol rents the farmhouse and helps establish the shelter for the fugitives.

A Safe House Arranged from "American Woman". A Safe House Arranged Practical Support Carol rents the farmhouse and helps establish the shelter for the fugitives.

A Safe House Arranged Practical Support Carol rents the farmhouse and helps establish the shelter for the fugitives. Her labor makes Rob Frazer’s plan possible, even though she is not present when the daily risks unfold. Distance in the Marriage The task extends a partnership built on familiar roles rather than a shared understanding of the crisis.

The Overnight Drive The Overnight Drive from "American Woman". The Overnight Drive Waiting Through the Night Carol waits outside the farmhouse for Rob Frazer and Jenny after a long night of travel.

The Overnight Drive from "American Woman". The Overnight Drive Waiting Through the Night Carol waits outside the farmhouse for Rob Frazer and Jenny after a long night of travel.

The Overnight Drive Waiting Through the Night Carol waits outside the farmhouse for Rob Frazer and Jenny after a long night of travel. She greets Jenny warmly, then immediately asks Rob Frazer what took so long, showing care and exhaustion together. The Return to the City Carol leaves for work while Rob Frazer stays behind to direct the next stage of the plan.

A Marriage Ending A Marriage Ending from "American Woman". A Marriage Ending The News of Divorce Rob Frazer tells Jenny at the juice bar that he and Carol are getting divorced.

A Marriage Ending from "American Woman". A Marriage Ending The News of Divorce Rob Frazer tells Jenny at the juice bar that he and Carol are getting divorced.

A Marriage Ending The News of Divorce Rob Frazer tells Jenny at the juice bar that he and Carol are getting divorced. The announcement comes after their old domestic script has become unsustainable, though the novel leaves its private causes largely unstated. A Separate Encounter Rob Frazer has come to ask about Jenny, not to repair his marriage.

Before Rob Frazer travels north

During Rob Frazer’s search for Jenny

Before Jenny arrives at the farmhouse

The dawn Jenny arrives at the farmhouse

Two years after Jenny’s release