Westchester County enters the memoir at two turning points in Deborah Feldman’s life: her effort to enter a writing program at Sarah Lawrence College and, later, the practical work of separating from her marriage. The county links the discovery of a possible intellectual future with the material unmaking of the life she is leaving.

Campus and First Interview

On a cloudy day after rain, Feldman drives to the Sarah Lawrence College campus and crosses Wrexham Road to the address she received by telephone. Her short black wig and long skirt set her apart from students in jeans; she privately wishes she could wear pants instead. In her interview, Jane explains that admission depends on writing ability, since the school has no exams or grades and evaluates students through essays. The encounter makes the possibility of college concrete while emphasizing the skill she must demonstrate to enter.

Returning for Poetry Class

In June, Feldman begins a poetry class after ordering The Norton Anthology of Poetry from the local library. She drops Yitzy at day care and drives over the Tappan Zee Bridge, with the Hudson River below, toward Westchester County. The class is small: James teaches, and Bryan is her only other classmate. Feldman has little prior experience with poetry, but James has told her that many students arrive knowing little about it. The trip and the classroom place her in an unfamiliar educational world, one she approaches while still managing the routines of motherhood.

Selling the Wedding Possessions

Westchester County also becomes the setting for a transaction that helps Feldman sever ties with her married life. She brings her diamond ring and some wedding gifts to a local jeweler, who exchanges them for cash. When he says the items will probably be melted down, she feels relieved that they will disappear rather than be worn by someone else. The jewelry is easier to relinquish than the dishes and linens she chose with care, or the friendships and extended family connections she is leaving behind. In this episode, the county is not only a destination for study: it is also where objects associated with the previous five years are converted into money and released.