In this story, what stands out the most to me is the lingering undertone of regret. The irony of the title being “Optimists” and yet that being one of the biggest themes in the story wasn’t lost on me, but it came up time and time again. It’s insinuated that the narrator’s (Frank’s) mother, Dorothy, regretted her quiet life based on how she interacted with Boyd and Penny. The mention about how she would only usually play her game with them specifically on nights when her husband, Roy, was away I thought seemed like a pretty decent hint at that. There was also the mention that Roy hadn’t been on the job long enough to gain seniority and security in his job, which he undoubtedly regretted seeing as though he was the breadwinner of the family.
The titular night where not only one man, but two, were killed brought more irony to the title. On p. 173, Frank said: “He was an optimist. Both of them were optimists, I think.” Knowing how both of them acted, I think that it was less that they were optimistic but rather that they never allowed themselves to think that the worst could happen. So, whenever the November night happened, and the worst possible case scenario really did happen Frank saw the amount of bitterness and regret that both of his parents really had. His father obviously regretted not being able to save his coworker, but he also regretted losing his temper and accidently murdering Boyd. Roy threw out the idea that Dorothy was possibly having an affair, which given Boyd’s reaction to the whole situation, how he purposefully seemed to be trying to set him off, and the whole fishiness of the situation I do think that’s a plausible theory; if it was true then Dorothy would certainly have remorse for her part to play in the matter as well.
Then, there’s Frank, and though he was a bystander to the whole fiasco, I think that was the point of it. He was a teenager, not equipped to handle seeing so many awful things in such a short time, and he ran from it. He said on the first page of the story (171) that “I left home and school, told a lie about my age to fool the Army, and then did not come back.” That didn’t sound like someone who was proud of his actions, and while they’re completely understandable it came off to me like he wished that he could have done something more. Much like how resigned his parents were that night, whenever he later ran into his mother at the grocery store he came off as apathetic to the meeting. Like this was simply how the deck played out, and while he wasn’t happy with it there wasn’t much of a way to change it. If his parents qualified as this warped definition of “optimistic,” then Frank would certainly fall under that camp as well.
I see your point, Kylie. It may very well be true that Frank experienced regret at not having intervened in some way; though he was a child and it was over quickly. Roy and Boyd’s feelings towards each other and their work situation had simmered for a long time; the death on the railway blew the lid off the pot. However, I think Frank realizes that neither one was truly to blame for what happened. Roy was in shock over witnessing a death–a gruesome death. He was there with the man as he died. Boyd was drunk and angry at the union because he knew situations like that happened all the time at the railroad and the union would simply ignore it. They took their feelings out on each other and it ended terribly; Frank understand this now.
I like how you pointed out that even though the title is “Optimists,” the story shows that even when trying to stay optimistic, bad things will always happen. After the death of Boyd, Frank’s mother and father try to be optimistic before they cannot take it anymore and split up. Even the most strong-spirited person can break under the right circumstances, shattering what was considered a fragile existence.