Boston, Massachusetts, is a point of family connection beyond the Roses’ Washington home: it is where Barbara Rose turns when she seeks her mother’s understanding, and where she proposes taking the children during the strain of the separation. The city is never shown directly, but its presence shapes both a private appeal for support and a brief departure that leaves Ann alone with Oliver Rose.

Family Ties and a Call for Support

After declaring that she wanted to separate, Barbara called her mother in Boston. The conversation did not ease her doubts: Barbara felt that her mother did not understand her explanation, and she concluded that the call had not helped. In the loneliness of the empty bed, Barbara’s anger gave way to memories of Oliver’s support for her ambitions, his steadiness, and his care as a husband and father. Boston is therefore associated not with a settled refuge, but with Barbara’s attempt to test her decision against the perspective of her family—and with her uncertainty when that effort fails to reassure her.

The city is also identified as the place Barbara suggests visiting with the children. She raises the possibility of going to Boston for a weekend and taking Eve Rose and Josh Rose, while watching for Ann’s reaction. The plan is presented as hypothetical, but it would remove Barbara and the children from the house while the separation is already reshaping their lives.

The Weekend Departure

The children are excited about going to Boston. Before they leave, Ann helps them pack and writes down Barbara’s instructions, including shopping and defrosting tasks intended to let Barbara resume her commitments on Monday morning. Ann also promises to feed Mercedes. These practical arrangements make the proposed trip part of the household’s ordinary routine even as the family’s circumstances are anything but ordinary.

Barbara and the children leave in a waiting taxi. Ann embraces each of them at the door and waves as they go, remaining there in the hope that they will see her standing alone. Once they are gone, however, she feels privately elated at the prospect of being alone with Oliver. Her excitement is heightened by her concealed feelings for him, though he has given her no encouragement, particularly after apologizing for the incident in the library on Christmas Eve.

Narrative Significance

Boston’s importance in these episodes lies in what departure makes possible rather than in any scene set within the city. Barbara’s proposed visit frames distance from the house as a possible response to mounting strain; the departure also creates a temporary opening for Ann’s hopes. At the same time, the careful list of household instructions shows that even a weekend away remains bound to Barbara’s work and responsibilities. Boston offers a destination, but the evidence does not present it as a resolution to the Roses’ conflict.