Drexel Boulevard serves as the approach to the Dalton home during Bigger’s efforts to conceal Mary’s death. Its snowy street and driveway frame two returns to the house, each bringing him closer to the furnace and to the risk of discovery.

Setting and Approach

On his first return, Bigger rides a streetcar through the snow and gets off at the Drexel Boulevard stop. He carries a suitcase and walks through snow to the Dalton driveway, where the family’s car remains as he left it, now covered in snow. The quiet approach gives him a chance to turn back: he considers leaving before anyone knows he has returned, but decides to go inside.

The Furnace and the House

At the Dalton home, Bigger’s attention is fixed on the furnace. On the first visit, he encounters Peggy standing near it before he can leave. On a later return via Drexel Boulevard, he goes directly to the basement, checks the fire, shuts off the coal, and opens the lower furnace door. The accumulating ashes mean he will need to clear them and check for unburned bones. As he heads toward his room, Peggy calls to him from the kitchen stairs.

Narrative Significance

The repeated route makes Drexel Boulevard a threshold between possible escape and continued concealment. Bigger can leave the first time he reaches the driveway, yet returns to the house and resumes tending to the evidence. Snow covers the car and marks the passage of time, while the furnace remains the practical center of his attention. The street itself is not presented as a refuge; it leads him back to the place where his choices and the danger of discovery converge.