an accidental tourist summary

The Accidental Tourist

56 pages • 1 hour read

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-4

Chapters 5-8

Chapters 9-12

Chapters 13-16

Chapters 17-20

Character Analysis

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Discussion Questions

Summary and Study Guide

Anne Tyler’s The Accidental Tourist is a literary fiction novel that follows the character-driven story of Macon Leary, who must navigate life following the death of his son and the dissolution of his marriage. The Accidental Tourist was originally published in 1985 and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. The Accidental Tourist is Anne Tyler’s 10th novel and one of her most recognized works. This study guide follows the paperback Berkley edition released in 1986.

Plot Summary

Macon Leary is a writer based out of Baltimore who creates travel guides for people who must travel on business but do not want to be bothered with discomfort or unexpected experiences. Macon is an expert at finding the most comfortable and convenient solutions to average problems. While driving back from a beach vacation, Macon’s wife, Sarah , informs him that she wants a divorce. It’s been a year since their son, Ethan, was unexpectedly killed, and the two have grieved in very different ways. After Sarah moves out, Macon restructures their house, creating a multitude of systems and contraptions to maximize comfort and convenience. When it comes time for Macon to go on his next trip for work, he goes to board the family dog, Edward . He learns Edward is blacklisted from the vet for biting a worker last time he was boarded. Desperate, Macon finds another vet, where he meets Muriel Pritchett. Muriel is talkative and great with dogs. She agrees to let Macon board Edward and proposes that she give Edward obedience lessons. Macon declines and goes on his trip. When he returns, he commits to more systems to run the house. As these systems break down, Macon has an accident, resulting in a broken leg.

Macon moves in with his siblings, Rose , Charles, and Porter, while his leg heals. The Leary siblings are as peculiar as Macon with their habits, rituals, and organizational tendencies. They don’t answer the phone, eat baked potatoes often, and play the same made-up card game they’ve played since they were children. Macon’s siblings complain about Edward’s behavior, but Macon struggles to do anything about it because Edward belonged to Ethan. Finally, after being bit on the hand, Macon reaches out to Muriel, who has persistently tried to get Macon to hire her ever since they met. Muriel is great with Edward and helps Macon teach Edward things like sitting, staying, and walking on a leash. Edward struggles to learn to lie down, so Macon calls the vet. The clerk informs Macon that Muriel is out that day because her son is sick. The next time Macon sees Muriel, he asks how her son is, and she loses her temper because he wasn’t supposed to know about her son yet. Macon fires Muriel in the same scene because she harshly punishes Edward. As Macon’s leg heals, he struggles to overcome his grief from Ethan’s death and his separation from Sarah. When Sarah invites Macon to dinner, he proposes they have another baby to resolve their marital issues, but Sarah instead tells Macon she wants a divorce and cites his seemingly callous reaction after Ethan’s death and lack of comfort to her as her reason.

After Macon gets his cast off, he flies to New York for work. He visits a skyscraper restaurant, where he has a panic attack after realizing he’s distanced himself from everyone he’s ever cared about. He calls home to ask for help despite his siblings being states away and learns that Edward is misbehaving and has cornered Charles in the pantry. Macon has no one else to call to help Charles and take Edward, so he calls Muriel and asks for her help. Not only does Muriel agree to rescue Charles, but she also comforts Macon and talks him down from his panic. When Macon returns from New York, he allows Muriel to begin training Edward again, and the two begin to spend a lot more time together. Muriel tells Macon all about her life and her son, Alexander. She invites Macon to come to dinner at her house, but Macon is afraid to do so, thinking it will feel like he’s finding substitutes for Sarah and Ethan.

When Macon goes to deliver a letter to Muriel to explain why he won’t have dinner with her, she surprises him with her tenderness, and Macon opens up about his grief regarding Ethan and the way he’s distanced himself from everyone. Muriel invites Macon to sleep in her bed, and he allows her to lead him to her room and tuck him in. Macon begins to spend much more time with Muriel and Alexander, eating dinner with them, helping Alexander with his homework, and joining them at Muriel’s parents’ house for Christmas. Macon’s relationship with Muriel heals him and helps him become less distant from the people around him. He moves in with her and gets to know the people of her street better than he ever knew his own neighbors. He forms a special bond with Alexander, teaching him to fix household items and taking him shopping for clothes.

Eventually, Muriel’s tendencies begin to wear Macon down. He is bothered by her misuse of words, her persistence, her insecurities, and her chaos. Muriel tries to convince Macon to take her to France, but Macon tells her no. Muriel presents Macon a calendar for the current year to show him she’s picked out a wedding day for them. Macon tells her he’s not interested in marrying again because he thinks only perfect couples get married, which leads to an argument and more tension between the couple as time passes.

After encountering Sarah at a wedding, Macon finds Sarah reaching out to him more and more during a trip to Canada. Sarah calls him in every city, at first asking if she can move back into their house because her lease is ending, then just wanting to talk about the weather. She hints that she wants to get back together with Macon and tells him she wishes she were with him in Canada. When Macon lands back in Baltimore, he drives home to Sarah instead of driving to Muriel’s house. They rekindle their relationship, much to Muriel’s heartbreak. Macon and Sarah begin to put their lives back together, buying new furniture and reassembling the house after it was damaged in a snowstorm during Macon’s absence. When Sarah is not around, Macon finds himself longing to talk to someone. He calls Muriel to ask about Alexander’s allergy shots, and Muriel scolds him for having the audacity to contact her about Alexander after abandoning them.

When Macon leaves for France, Muriel shows up on his same flight, having booked the same hotel. Muriel insists that Macon needs her, and Macon feels Muriel will be extremely unprepared to travel in Paris. Macon does his best to avoid Muriel, and she gets along fine without him. He eventually agrees to have dinner with her at a Burger King in Paris, where Muriel fills Macon in about the people on her street. She asks him to come to bed with her, but Macon declines. After several days in Paris, Macon starts day trips to other cities. When he goes to invite Muriel to join him, he throws his back out and becomes incapacitated. He calls his publisher to inform him of the delay, and word gets back to Sarah, who shows up in Paris to take care of Macon. She informs Macon that she saw Muriel, and he tells her that she followed him to France on her own accord. Sarah becomes excited about having a second honeymoon with Macon while they’re in France. One night, she asks Macon why he didn’t do anything to stop Muriel from getting on the plane with him. Macon doesn’t have an answer and realizes he’s never made any major life decisions on his own. Everything that has happened to him has resulted from passively accepting things. He stays up all night thinking and eventually decides to return to Muriel, realizing she is better for him.

Related Titles

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A Spool of Blue Thread

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Breathing Lessons

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The Accidental Tourist

• An emotionally distant writer of travel guides must carry on with his life after his son is killed and his marriage crumbles.
• After the death of his son, Macon Leary, a travel writer, seems to be sleep walking through life. Macon's wife, seems to be having trouble too, and thinks it would be best if the two would just split up. After the break up, Macon meets a strange outgoing woman, who seems to bring him back down to earth. After starting a relationship with the outgoing woman, Macon's wife seems to think that their marriage is still worth a try. Macon is then forced to deal many decisions — Justin Sharp <[email protected]>
• After the murder of their young son, the marriage between Macon and his wife Sarah disintegrates, and she moves out. After a freak accident puts him on crutches, Macon goes to stay with his quirky siblings at the family home, where he meets the spirited Muriel, a dog trainer with a young son of her own, with whom he begins a friendship. When Sarah learns about this, she attempts a reconciliation and Macon is forced to make a decision. — Jwelch5742
• Macon Leary is the author of a travel book for people who want to travel with the minimum fuss and as little impact as possible on their lives. Arriving back from a working trip, his wife announces she can no longer deal with the fact that he is dealing with the death of their son the same way that he travels: with minimum impact. Macon subsequently meets the quirky Muriel, who it seems is just the opposite to Macon. — Murray Chapman <[email protected]>
• Macon Leary (William Hurt) is a Baltimore writer of travel guides for reluctant business travelers, which detail how best to avoid unpleasantness and difficulty. His marriage to his wife Sarah (Kathleen Turner) is disintegrating in the aftermath of the murder of their 12 year-old son, Ethan (Seth Granger). Sarah feels living with Macon she is losing the will to live and wants to reset her life. Sarah is also angry that Macon has no passion or loud emotions, he is very subdued. Sarah eventually leaves Macon, moving out of their house and into an apartment. Macon has a bad back that keeps resurfacing. Macon is pursued by Muriel Pritchet (Geena Davis), an animal hospital employee (Macon had met Muriel when he had to leave his dog with her at her hospital for care-taking, when he had to go away on a business trip. Macon was desperate as his regular animal shelter had refused to take in Edward due to his biting habit) and dog trainer with a sickly son Alexander Pritchett (Robert Hy Gorman) (Alexander is allergic to many many things and is almost always at the doctor's). Muriel is very chatty, while Macon is the quiet, reserved type. After he falls down the basement stairs and breaks his leg, Macon returns to his childhood home to stay with his eccentric siblings. Rose Leary (Amy Wright), Porter Leary (David Ogden Stiers) & Charles Leary (Ed Begley Jr.). Rose is super organized and has kind of like an OCD. Macon eventually hires Muriel to put his dog Edward through much-needed obedience training (as it was Edward which led to Macon falling down the basement stairs in his house. Plus Edwars also attacked Macon's employer Julian Edge (Bill Pullman) when he came to visit him at his sibling's house) (Julin also reminds Macon that he is running very late with his guidebook). Although Muriel at first seems brash and unsophisticated (she thinks Rose is Macon's ex-wife or something till he corrects her that Rose is his sister), Macon eventually finds himself opening up to her and trusting her (She is able to train Edward and befriend Macon in the process). Muriel had got married because she got pregnant, but then something went wrong during the pregnancy and Alexander was taken out by c section early. Muriel can never have kids again. Julian, meanwhile is attracted to Rose and joins the family for dinner to spend more time with her. One day Macon criticizes Rose's cooking (she had cooked the turkey at a wrong temperature), in front of Julian. Rose gets real upset and she thinks Macon wants her to take care of the boys forever and is thus trying to drive Julian away from her. Muriel continues to pursue Macon and invites him over for dinner at her place.. Macon is very resistant and tries to get out of it by saying something came up. But Muriel confronts Macon and he reveals that just last yr he lost his son in a holdup at an hamburger joint. Hence he is not ready to socialize yet, nor spend time with Alexander. Muriel quietly hugs Macon and wins him over. She takes him to her bed and they snuggle. Macon spends more and more time at Muriel's and gets more involved in their lives. eventually Macon moves in with Muriel Macon completes his book and delivers it to Julian. Julian tells Macon that he is going to propose to Rose. Porter talks to Macon and tries to warn him and say that Muriel is not good for him.. Macon wouldn't have any of it, and instead finds himself bonding with Alexander (taking him clothes shopping and saving him from school bullies). Macon wants to put Alexander into private school and this upsets Muriel as Macon is not sure if he is committed to her for the next 10 yrs or not.. Muriel tells Macon that he is not sure of what he wants and wants him to get himself sorted. Macon says he doesn't want to get married and this upsets Muriel even more. Rose gets married to Julian. Sarah is Rose's Matron of Honor. When Sarah's apartment lease is up, she moves back into their old home and suggests to Macon that they start over. Macon leaves Muriel, and he and Sarah set up house once more. Meanwhile Rose has moved back as she worried about her brothers without her to take care of them. Macon suggests Julian that Rose has OCD and he should give her some organizing job that she can immerse herself into. When Macon visits Paris for research, Muriel surprises him by showing up on the same flight and stays in the same Paris hotel, recommended by Macon in one of his travel guides. She suggests that they enjoy themselves as if they are vacationing together. Macon insists he is there strictly for business, and although he shows concern for how Alexander is doing, keeps Muriel at arm's length. During Macon's last night in Paris, Muriel asks to go with him, and despite an early flight she tells him he doesn't have to reply just now. Waking up in the middle of the night Macon decides to call Muriel but his telephone malfunctions. Macon gets up and while trying to fix the cord, hurts his back and becomes bedridden. Muriel knocks on his door waking him up but before he can decide what to do Muriel assumes he has gone already and leaves. Mustering the strength to go to the front desk, Macon phones Julian (and finds that Rose is now working for Julian and organized the entire office) to inform him of his back pain. Sarah comes to Paris (This was also organized by Rose), to care and make day-trips for him in order to complete his travel guide. Sarah proposes that after finishing the day trips if he is feeling better they can go sightseeing, reschedule the flight for a latter date and make the trip a second honeymoon to which Macon agrees. However, Sarah tells him that she has run into Muriel when she arrived and as such continues to question Macon about his attraction to Muriel, angering Macon. The next morning, Macon dresses while Sarah still sleeps, then wakes her to tell her that he is going back to Muriel. On his way to the airport, Macon spots Muriel hailing a taxi and tells the driver to stop. Thinking the driver stopped for her, Muriel bends to gather her luggage and catches sight of Macon in the taxi. She smiles, and Macon returns the smile.

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• CBSE Notes For Class 9
• Class 9 English Notes and Summary
• Supplementary Chapter 9 The Accidental Tourist

The Accidental Tourist Summary & Notes - CBSE Class 9 English Moments

According to the CBSE Syllabus 2023-24, this chapter has been removed from  NCERT Class 9 English (Moments) textbook .

Summary of The Accidental Tourist

The Accidental Tourist is a story which reflects the humorous travel experiences of the author. He encounters unexpected hassles while travelling that call for trouble and embarrasses him immensely. Read the prose summary of CBSE Class 9 English Prose Notes – The Accidental Tourist in CBSE English Notes Class 9 format here to explore in detail. We hope this summary will help students to understand this chapter easily and prepare for their English exam with confidence.

Students can also learn how to write an effective essay by going through the essays to increase marks in Class 9 English papers.

CBSE Class 9 English The Accidental Tourist Summary

The Accidental Tourist is an entertaining story written by Bill Bryson, where he reflects on his travel experiences humorously. He casually describes the various incidents that took place while he was travelling to different places. He often acts clumsily and finds it difficult to manage things systematically. He wonders how other people do their regular work easily without any difficulty. A couple of times, he fails to locate the washroom in the movie theatre and ends up standing in a narrow passage of the door that locks by itself. He has a hard time living a normal life like other people and wonders how others do it so effortlessly.

Once, the author was travelling to England with his family during Easter. After reaching Logan Airport in Boston, while they were checking in, he abruptly remembered that he had joined the British Airways’ frequent flyer programme. He recollected that he had put the card in the carry-on bag that was dangling around his neck. When he tried opening the bag, the zip was clogged, and he exerted pressure to open it. In the process, the zip snapped, and everything that was kept inside the bag started spilling all over the place. Meanwhile, the author also noticed that his finger was injured and trapped in the zip. He was terrified at the sight that his finger was bleeding extensively.

Further, the author mentions the unexpected troubles that he encounters while travelling. In one such instance, while travelling in an aeroplane, he leaned over to tie his shoelace. Unfortunately, he was stuck when the person sitting ahead of him fully reclined his seat. With great difficulty, he freed himself from that cramped position. In another instance, he spilt some soft drinks on his co-passenger. Although the flight attendant cleaned up the mess, the author spilt another drink on the same passenger again. The lady was completely drenched and annoyed at the author for the inconvenience he caused her.

However, his worst experience on a flight was when he was writing in a notebook, and he sucked on the tip of the pen. At that time, he was also talking to a lady. Later when he went to the washroom, he saw that the pen had leaked unknowingly and ended up colouring his teeth, tongue and mouth in blue colour ink. He ended up feeling awkward for being so clumsy. Although the author is a gentleman, he always ends up in some cumbersome situation. His wife was well aware of his clumsiness. So, whenever food was delivered on the flight, she would instruct her children to remove the lid off the food for their father so that they could avoid any mishap from happening.

Nonetheless, the author clarifies that such unforeseen situations occur, particularly when he is travelling with his family. Whenever he travels alone, things work perfectly as he quietly sits on his seat and avoids tying his shoelaces if required. He avoids making mistakes while he is travelling on his own. He admits that he has been careless in updating his frequent flyer card due to time constraints. On multiple occasions, he either forgot to request the air miles from the airline authorities, or sometimes the airline didn’t record it on time. Furthermore, he mentions that there were instances when the airline informed him that he was not entitled to use air miles. Once due to a mismatch in his name on the ticket, he could not use his air miles and was left ineligible to travel to Bali on a first-class ticket.

Conclusion of The Accidental Tourist

The chapter – The Accidental Tourist teaches students that it is important to be organised and systematic in our lives, especially while travelling. We should be well-prepared; otherwise, we are likely to encounter unexpected mishaps like the author. Here, we brought you the CBSE Class 9 English Moments Prose Summary of The Accidental Tourist that will help students to have a solid insight into the chapter.

Besides, BYJU’S offers a huge collection of resources such as CBSE Notes and CBSE study materials . They can download BYJU’S – The Learning App and also check out CBSE sample papers and question papers.

Frequently Asked Questions on CBSE Class 9 English The Accidental Tourist

Why is it important for a student to be organised in life.

For students, being organised is particularly important since it helps them learn how to prioritise activities, set and achieve goals and reduce stress.

How should one be conscious and aware during travel?

1. Don’t drink bottled water from unknown shops/people 2. Avoid the tourist trap locations 3. Travel in off-season 4. Choose proper accommodation

What is the meaning of ‘unforeseen situation’?

Any situation that is not anticipated or expected is called an ‘unforeseen situation’.

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The Accidental Tourist Summary, Explanation

Students can also check  English Summary  to revise with them during exam preparation.

About the Poet Anne Tyler is an American novelist, short story writer, and literary critic. She has published 22 novels. Her eleventh novel, Breathing Lessons, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1988.

The Accidental Tourist Introduction

The Accidental Tourist is a humorous story in which the author reflects humorously his experiences as a traveller. It is a common opinion among the people that the world today is a small place because travel has become easy, but at the same time it also a fact that not everybody finds it easy to travel.

The Accidental Tourist Summary of the Lesson

Here the author describes his lack of skill while travelling. He finds himself unable to manage things properly and wonders how other people do them without difficulty. A number of times he fails to find the washroom in a cinema-hall and ends up standing in an alley of the self-locking door. He also easily forgets the number of his room in a hotel. He feels that living in the real world is perhaps the most difficult thing.

Once the author went to England with family on a big trip at Easter. When they arrived at Logan Airport in Boston and were checking in, he suddenly remembered that he had put the British Airways’ frequent flyer pro¬. gramme in the carry-on bag that was hanging around his neck.

But the zip of the bag was jammed. So he used his force to open it. In the process the zip gave way and everything within such as newspaper cuttings and other loose papers, a tin of pipe tobacco, etc. came out and spread over a large area. The author also discovered that his finger had been badly injured as it got stuck in the zip. He was horrified to see the finger bleeding profusely.

Unexpected troubles kept happening in the author’s life particularly when he was travelling. Once on an aeroplane, while he was leaning over to tie his shoelace, someone in the seat ahead of him threw his seat back into full recline and pinned him in a crash position.

Freed himself with great difficulty. On another occasion, he spilt soft drink on a co-passenger who happened to be a lady. The flight attendant cleaned her up and brought the author another drink, but he did the same mistake once again. The lady was repeatedly drenched and so annoyed.

But his worst experience was when on a plane flight he was writing something in a notebook, sucking on the end of his pen, and fell into conversation with a lady. After twenty minutes when he went to the washroom, he discovered that the pen had leaked and coloured his teeth, tongue, gums and chin with navy blue ink.

The author wanted to be well mannered but he was never successful in his mission. He would fall into embarrassing situation every now and then. His wife was well aware of her husband’s nature and therefore whenever the food was delivered on planes, she would instruct her children to take the lid off the food for Daddy just to avoid the possibility of any unpleasant happening.

The author makes it clear that such things happened only when he was flying with his family. When he was travelling alone, things were all right because he did not eat, drink or lean over to tie his shoelaces. He sat quietly, sometimes on his hands to keep them from doing mistakes.

He was also careless about updating his frequent flyer card. Usually he failed to find his card in time. On other occasion he forgot to ask for the air miles. Sometimes the airline did not record them and informed him that he was not entitled to them. The Gita and Swadharma Summary

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The Accidental Tourist

Where to watch.

Rent The Accidental Tourist on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

What to Know

Generous with its characters' foibles and virtues, The Accidental Tourist is a thoughtful drama vested with insight into the complications of relationships.

Critics Reviews

Audience reviews, cast & crew.

Lawrence Kasdan

William Hurt

Macon Leary

Kathleen Turner

Sarah Leary

Geena Davis

Muriel Pritchett

Bill Pullman

More Like This

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The Accidental Tourist

“Yes, that is my son,” the man says, identifying the body in the intensive care unit. Grief threatens to break his face into pieces, and then something closes shut inside of him. He has always had a very controlled nature, fearful of emotion and revelation, but now a true ice age begins, and after a year his wife tells him she wants a divorce. It is because he cannot seem to feel anything.

“The Accidental Tourist” begins on that note of emotional sterility, and the whole movie is a journey toward a smile at the end.

The man’s name is Macon Leary ( William Hurt ), and he writes travel books for people who detest traveling. He advises his readers on how to avoid human contact, where to find “American food” abroad and how to convince themselves they haven’t left home. His own life is the same sort of journey, and maybe it began in childhood. His sister and two brothers still live together in the house where they were born, and any life outside of their routine would be unthinkable.

Macon’s wife ( Kathleen Turner ) moves out, leaving him with the dog, Edward, who does like to travel and is deeply disturbed by the curious life his masters have provided for him. He barks at ghosts and snaps at strangers. It is time for Macon to make another one of his overseas research trips, so he takes the dog to be boarded at a kennel, and that’s where he meets Muriel Pritchett ( Geena Davis ). Muriel has Macon’s number from the moment he walks through the door. She can see he’s a basket case, but she thinks she can help. She also thinks her young son needs a father.

Macon isn’t so sure. He doesn’t use the number she gives him. But later, when the dog trips him and he breaks his leg, he takes Edward back to the kennel, and this time he submits to a little obedience training of his own. He agrees to acknowledge that Muriel exists, and before long they are sort of living together (lust still exists in his body, but it lurks so far from the center of his feelings that sex hardly seems to cheer him up).

The peculiarity about these central passages in the film is that they are quite cheerful and sometimes even very funny, even though Macon himself is mired in a deep depression. Davis, as Muriel, brings an unforced wackiness to her role in scenes like the one where she belts out a song while she’s doing the dishes. But she is not as simple as she sometimes seems, and when Macon gets carried away with a little sentimental generalizing about the future, she warns him, “Don’t make promises to my son that you are not prepared to keep.” There is also great good humor in the characters in Macon’s family: brothers Porter ( David Ogden Stiers ) and Charles ( Ed Begley Jr.) and sister Rose ( Amy Wright ), a matriarch who feeds the family, presides over their incomprehensible card games and supervises such traditional activities as alphabetizing the groceries on the kitchen shelves. One evening Macon takes his publisher, Julien ( Bill Pullman ), home to dinner and Julien is struck with a thunderbolt of love for Rose. He eventually marries her, but a few weeks later Julien tells Macon that Rose has moved back home with the boys; she was concerned that they had abandoned regular meals and were eating only gorp.

This emergency triggers the movie’s emotional turning point, which is subtle but unmistakable. Nobody knows Rose as well as Macon does, and so he gives Julien some very particular advice: “Call her up and tell her your business is going to pieces. Ask if she could just come in and get things organized. Get things under control. Put it that way.

Use those words. Get things under control, tell her.” In context, this speech is hilarious. It is also the first time in the film that Macon has been able to extend himself to help anybody, and it starts him on the road to emotional growth. Clinging to the sterility and loneliness that has been his protection, he doesn’t realize at first that he has turned the corner. He still doubts that he needs Muriel, and when she buys herself a ticket and follows him to Paris, he refuses to have anything to do with her. When his wife also turns up in Paris, there is a moment when he thinks they may be able to patch things together again, and then finally Macon arrives at the sort of moment he has been avoiding all of his life: He has to make a choice. But by then the choice is obvious; he has already made it, by peeking so briefly out of his shell.

The screenplay for “The Accidental Tourist,” by Kasdan and Frank Galati , is able to reproduce a lot of the tone and dialogue of the Anne Tyler novel without ever simply being a movie version of a book. The textures are too specific and the humor is too quirky and well-timed to be borrowed. The filmmakers have reinvented the same story in their own terms. The movie is a reunion for Kasdan, Hurt and Turner, who all three launched their careers with “ Body Heat ” (1981). Kasdan used Hurt again in “ The Big Chill ” (1983) and understands how to employ Hurt’s gift for somehow being likable at the same time he seems to be withdrawn.

What Hurt achieves here seems almost impossible: He is depressed, low-key and intensely private through most of the movie, and yet somehow he wins our sympathy. What Kasdan achieves is just as tricky; I’ve never seen a movie so sad in which there was so much genuine laughter. “The Accidental Tourist” is one of the best films of the year.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

• Kathleen Turner as Sarah
• William Hurt as MacOn
• Ed Begley Jr. as Charles
• Amy Wright as Rose
• David Ogden Stiers as Porter
• Geena Davis as Muriel
• Bill Pullman as Julian
• Robert Gorman as Alexander
• Bradley Mott as Mr. Loomis

Based On The Novel by

• Carol Littleton

Produced by

• Charles Okun
• Michael Grillo

Screenplay by

• Frank Galati

Photographed by

• John Bailey
• John Williams

Directed by

• Lawrence Kasdan

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The Accidental Tourist

by Anne Tyler

The accidental tourist summary and analysis of chapters ten, eleven, and twelve.

Chapter Ten opens with Muriel visiting Macon for a training session with Edward . She divulges much about her personal life, such as how her son, Alexander , was not planned and how her first marriage was tumultuous. Muriel suggests to Macon that he should get together with Alexander, as her son does not have enough men in his life, and Macon declines. Later, the Leary siblings plan for the upcoming Thanksgiving dinner and Rose reveals she has invited Julian to come. Macon is not exactly pleased with the fact that his sister is dating his boss.

The evening before Thanksgiving, Porter’s children, Danny, Liberty, and Susan, come to the Leary household. The children and adults eat carry-out pizza for dinner. There is the smell of turkey in the air and Rose explains she is roasting the turkey all night using a slow-heating method of cooking. As a result, the turkey comes out for Thanksgiving dinner quite dry and not fully cooked, so no one eats it. Rose breaks out crying, accusing her family of trying to embarrass her in front of Julian.

At the next training lesson, while walking Edward in the park, Muriel is telling Macon about that having a baby was what broke up her marriage, as her ex-husband Norman abandoned any interest in Alexander after the child became sick. Eventually, this leads to their divorce. As Muriel tells Macon this very personal story, Macon feels “some kind of connection” to her and abruptly kisses her. Muriel’s “pressing” quality causes Macon to draw back and apologize for the kiss. They continue walking the dog.

Macon takes his niece Susan, the daughter of Porter, on his work trip to Philadelphia. On the train ride, while Susan sleeps, Macon thinks about how Ethan had rarely accompanied him on his trips. Macon takes Susan around to the various hotels and restaurants that he has to review. At dinner, she recalls a story of Ethan and then apologizes for mentioning him. This makes Macon realize that Ethan’s cousins also miss him. Susan becomes tipsy after one cocktail and chats endlessly to Macon through the meal.

At the next dog-training lesson, Edward has learned to lie down. This pleases Muriel. She tells Macon that he didn’t need to apologize for kissing her the other day. Macon explains that he is still not legally divorced. He wants to say that he is not ready for an intimate relationship, but he cannot get the words out. Muriel talks about all the strange and creative ways she has tried to make money over the years. She invites Macon over for dinner the next night with her and Alexander. During the lesson, Muriel needs to stop by the doctor’s office to pick up her son from an appointment. Macon gets to meet Alexander, who is a very small, sickly boy with many allergies. Muriel expects to see Macon the next day for dinner but Macon feels like he can’t bring himself to come, missing his own family.

That night, Macon contemplates calling Muriel to tell her that he would not come for dinner. He wants to express that his son died, but he realizes that he has never before said this out loud to anyone. He decides to write a letter instead. He drives to Muriel’s house, which is in a bad neighborhood of the city, to hand-deliver it. When she opens the door, Macon blurts out the story of Ethan and says that he is not up to being around children again. Muriel brings him into her house and listens as he spills his heart out about the difficulty of coping with grief. She insists that he lie down to rest in her bedroom, and they end up sleeping together. In the middle of the night, Macon sees the scar on Muriel’s stomach from her Caesarean section and feels that Muriel must somewhat understand the pain Macon has been through.

Macon starts to spend more and more time with Muriel. Rose becomes worried when Macon often misses family meals. Rose says that she doesn’t want to pry into his personal life, but she is clearly curious about Macon’s budding relationship with Muriel. One night, he brings over pizza to Muriel’s house. When Macon arrives, Alexander says he cannot eat any because of his allergies. Muriel is on the phone with her mother, complaining that she doesn’t care enough about Alexander’s health. Muriel is delighted to see Macon, and Macon feels happy that someone appreciates his presence again.

One day, when Macon goes into Julian’s office to hand in a work draft, he finds out Julian is planning to propose to Rose on Christmas. He already has a diamond ring ready for the occasion. Macon takes another trip for work, and this time he brings Muriel. They fly on a small commuter plane; as they fly over many roofs of houses, Macon has a sense of all the different private lives these houses contain.

Macon starts to settle into an orderly routine. He feels that he has no room in his life for anyone besides Muriel, who is very extreme and unpredictable to him. There are things about her that he does not like, such as her ceaseless talking and her focus on superficial things like makeup. He does not love her, but he loves “the surprise of her.” One time, Macon tries to teach Alexander how to fix a kitchen faucet, even though Muriel argues he is too weak to do it. Muriel invites Macon to Christmas dinner to meet her family. Macon doesn’t want to go, but he does anyway.

These pages are marked by the growing relationship between Macon and Muriel. In Chapter Ten, after Muriel shares about her first marriage and son’s illness, Macon kisses her. In the moment, it is what he is impulsed to do, yet at the same time, he also feels that it wasn’t the sort of “connection he’d intended.” Macon has struggled with human contact and communication perpetually in the book, and this serves as an example of how, in a moment of interpersonal intimacy, Macon is stumped as to how he ought to behave. In this case, with a woman who has clearly shown attraction to him, Macon confuses this moment for romantic attraction, getting himself into a relationship with her that will slowly unfold throughout the rest of story.

They take their relationship to the next level—a sexual encounter—when Macon goes over to Muriel’s house and finally, for the first time in the novel, expresses his feelings, sharing about the death of Ethan, which he has managed to never before speak about to anyone before. The surfacing of this emotional honesty provides relief for Macon, who has been holding onto his grief for so long, as well as making him more susceptible to Muriel’s sexual advances. In this way, he finds himself in a relationship where, he admits to himself, he is not in love but rather enjoying the comfort of being with another human again—a relationship in which he can feel wanted by another.

Yet we can already see the signs that Macon has embroiled himself in something to which his heart is not quite fully committed. There are aspects of Muriel that irritate Macon, such as her endless chattering of a superficial nature or the way she sees her son as being continually ill and fragile. When Muriel invites Macon to Christmas dinner with her family, Macon’s first instinct is to say no, yet he feels he cannot, already too immersed in their relationship. We can also intuit that being around Alexander brings up for Macon his paternal instincts that were abruptly halted after the death of Ethan.

The absence of Ethan seems to trail Macon wherever he goes, whether at family gatherings, or meeting Alexander for the first time, or taking a trip with his niece, Susan. When Susan shares with Macon that she misses her cousin Ethan, it finally occurs to Macon that the death of his son has not only affected him but also their entire family. This moment illuminates for the reader that Macon’s tends to isolate himself, which has made his experience of grief all the more painful and challenging. By never mentioning his son and locking away his feelings, Macon keeps himself from fully healing from the trauma of losing a child.

From the months Macon has spent with his family, the reader learns much about the Leary children and the many quirks they share. Perhaps their greatest common trait is that of resistance to change and protection of their routine. This is evident in the way Macon’s siblings spy on him while he does dog-training lessons with Muriel, curious yet also rather skeptical about his new relationship. It is also there in Macon’s protectiveness of Rose as he observes her soon-to-be engagement with his boss, Julian. Macon cannot believe that Julian, who leads a very different type of lifestyle, could be the right fit for his sister. We see the classic Leary resistance also in the way that none of the siblings are willing to talk directly about Ethan in the same room as Macon as if he had never died.

Despite the seriousness of the subject matter in The Accidental Tourist , Anne Tyler manages to interweave many humorous moments, particularly through the eccentricities of her characters. Muriel’s strange ways of making money, for instance, brings not only a deepening of our understanding of the characters but also some much-needed comedic relief as they navigate many painful and awkward experiences.

The Accidental Tourist Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Accidental Tourist is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Standing water in the road is compared to a wide lake.

A wide lake, it seemed, in the center of the highway crashed against the underside of the car and slammed it to the right.

How does Macon meet Muriel?

Macon meets Muriel when he hires her to train his dog.

How is Macon described in Chapter 1?

From the text:

He was a tall, pale, gray-eyed man, with straight fair hair cut close to his head, and his skin was that thin kind that easily burns.

Study Guide for The Accidental Tourist

The Accidental Tourist study guide contains a biography of Anne Tyler, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About The Accidental Tourist
• The Accidental Tourist Summary
• Character List

Essays for The Accidental Tourist

The Accidental Tourist essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler.

• The Accidental Acceptance: Family and Modernity in 'The Accidental Tourist' and 'Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant'

Lesson Plan for The Accidental Tourist

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to The Accidental Tourist
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• The Accidental Tourist Bibliography

Wikipedia Entries for The Accidental Tourist

• Introduction

The Accidental Tourist By Bill Bryson – Summary, Setting, Title and Questions and Answers

Table of Contents

The Accidental Tourist By Bill Bryson

INTRODUCTION

This is a story written by Bill Bryson about his adventures on planes. During these flights, he has had a number of negative incidents. He recounts all of these events, and we learn how he fails to enjoy his air flights and, despite being a frequent traveller, is unable to obtain an air card due to his negligence. Traveling has never been simple for him, he claims.

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The Accidental Tourist is a realistic fiction novel created in the United States. The book is unlike other works of American literature that aim to depict the moral landscape of postwar America. Anne Tyler, on the other hand, captures the moments that influence people’s lives. Tyler tells the story of a person’s struggle to cope with ordinary emotions. Her fiction isn’t historical, and she doesn’t try to blend modern society into it. Her writing style and subject matter are both straightforward but intelligent. Her story appeals to men since it includes a male protagonist who is fighting with his emotions. The Accidental Tourist is a subtle comedy and a love tale, but the focus is on personal emotional growth and healing as a result of bereavement. Tyler hopes to remind her readers of the goodness in regular people in her upbeat tale.

The title suggests that the story is about an accidental tourist who finds himself in uncomfortable or embarrassing situations while on tourist. When reading the text, one discovers that the tourist, Bill Bryson, travels regularly yet always ends up in an accident. He does not learn from his errors and continues to make the same errors. He forgets to put his frequent flyer card where it belongs, spills drinks while reaching for one, leaves a large portion of his coat outside while closing the car door, smudges his light-colored trousers several times without realising it, and many other seemingly insignificant things cannot be handled by him without making a mess. The title “The Accidental Tourist” is suitable since it’s entertaining to see Bryson get into accidents all the time at a time when travel is so accessible that it’s made the world seem small.

Value Points

✒️ The most difficult task for the narrator is surviving in the actual world. In a cinema, he was unable to locate the restroom and even forgot his room number.

✒️ He knew his card was in his carry-on bag, slung around his neck, at Logan Airport in Boston.

✒️ He yanked the bag’s zip in frustration when it became stuck. However, it eventually gave way, and the contents of the bag were scattered across a vast region.

✒️ The narrator found air travel to be quite perplexing. Someone pushed him from behind as he stooped over to tie his shoelace, pinning him to the ground.

✒️ Because the ticket was issued in the name of B. Bryson, he was not eligible for frequent flyer miles. W. Bryson’s name, however, appeared on the card.

✒️ The narrator was denied a first-class flight to Bali.

Bill Bryson travelled frequently by plane. His plane travels often leave him feeling anxious. In this lesson, the author discusses some of his travel-related experiences. He claims that he once travelled to England with his family. He was carrying a carry-on bag.

The difficulty began at the airport when the check-in personnel requested that he unzip the suitcase. He attempted to open the bag’s zipper but was unsuccessful. He tugged harder, and the rope broke. The contents of the bag fell out in a fluttering cascade. The newspaper clippings, various documents, pipe tobacco tin, magazines, passport, and coins were scattered over an area roughly the size of a tennis court.

Then he shares another event he has had. He claims that he once bent over to tie his shoelace on an aeroplane. Just as someone in front of him reclined his seat to its furthest extent, he found himself caught helplessly in the crash position. He was only able to extricate himself by tearing at the leg of the man seated next to him.

On a separate occasion, he spilled a soft drink into a lady’s lap. He repeatedly engaged in this mischief. However, this was hardly his worst flight experience. According to him, his worst encounter occurred during an aeroplane ride. He claims to have been writing in a notebook. he struck up a discussion with the lovely young lady seated next to him. He was sucking on the end of his pen. When he went to the restroom after approximately 20 minutes, he noticed that the pen had leaked, and his mouth, chin, tongue, teeth, and gums were suddenly navy blue and would remain thus for several days.

Despite his frequent flying, he never received an air card. Ile claims that he used to fly 100,000 miles a year but was unable to obtain an air card due to his negligence or other factors.

Setting and Structure

Like many of Anne Tyler’s works, The Accidental Tourist is set in Baltimore and focuses on ordinary persons and the events that define them. Anne Tyler takes the reader on a tour through pre-1985 Baltimore, while presenting the human struggle to endure life’s unavoidable realities, including family, death, and love. Twenty chapters make up The Accidental Tourist. The progression of storyline and themes mirrors the phases of mourning, which are denial, suffering, idealisation, and transference.

In the first five chapters of the work, Macon and the incidents that have led to his current mental state are introduced to the reader. His unstable upbringing with a flighty mother and “stodgy” brothers and sister, as well as his marriage to Sarah and the death of their son, Ethan, have all led to his existence as an orderly, emotionally contained man. Edward’s misbehaviour affects Macon’s life of inactivity once he breaks his leg and relocates to his grandfather’s house, despite the fact that he is satisfied with being completely cut off from the outside world. When Muriel begins to train Edward, Macon is compelled to dig under the surface of a different way of life as Muriel shares her own experiences to him. Macon begins to change, and his family begins to view him with suspicion. However, Muriel and Julian, his boss, accept his personal changes, and Macon himself eventually accepts them as well. Despite briefly returning to his spouse and home, he ultimately realises his improved personal power and vows to pursue his new life with Muriel. Macon’s ultimate decision in Paris is not simple, but it is conclusive indication that he has completed the emotional healing process.

Questions and Answers of Accidental Tourist

Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow in one or two lines.

I) The zip on the bag was jammed. So I pulled on it and yanked at it, with grunts and frowns and increasing consternation. I kept this up for some minutes but it wouldn’t budge, so I pulled harder and harder.

1.Which bag is being referred to in this extract? Ans: When Bryson and his family arrived at Logan Airport in Boston on their way to Europe, he had a carry-on bag slung around his neck. This is the bag that is being referred to in this context. 2. What had happened to the zip on the bag? Ans: The zip of the bag had become stuck, and despite Bryson’s best attempts, it was not possible to unzip the bag. 3. Why did Bryson want to open the bag? Ans: Bryson wanted to open the bag to take out his frequent flyer card and avail its benefits. 4. What happened when Bryson pull harder and harder at the zip? Ans: When Bryson pulled harder and harder at the zip, the bag gave way abruptly and its entire contents spilt over, creating a mess. Very Short Answer Type Questions I. Who was Bill Bryson? Ans. Bill Bryson was a frequent air traveller. 2. How did Bill Bryson find himself during his air travels? Ans. He found himself always uneasy during his air travels. 3. Where was Bill going when the zip of his carry bag broke? Ans. At that time he was going to England. 4. What happened when the zip of the bag gave way? Ans. Everything within the hag-newspaper cuttings, other loose papers, tin pipe tobacco, magazines, passport. English money-ejected on the road. 5. What happened to Bill’s finger? Ans. Bill gashed his finger on the zip and blood was shedding in a lavish manner. 6. Why did Bill lean over in the plane? Ans. He leaned over in the plane to tie a shoelace. 7. What did Bill do to the lady travelling with him on one of his plane journeys? Ans. He knocked a soft drink over the lap of the lady twice. 8. What happened when Bill’s pen leaked? Ans. His mouth, Chin, tongue. teeth and gums were now a striking scrub-resistant navy blue. 9. Who was the accidental tourist? Ans. Bill Bryson was the accidental tourist. 10. What type of person was Bill Bryson? Ans. He was a confused person. SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS Q.1. What does Bill Bryson tell us about his habit of getting confused? Ans. Bill Bryson states that he is easily puzzled by the activities that others find enjoyable. He claims he cannot remember the details for long. He continually fails to remember them. When he is staying at a hotel, he must visit the front desk twice or thrice to inquire about his room number, as he describes. Q.2. What happened at London Airport when the author was going to England on a long journey with family? Ans. When the author was embarking on a lengthy journey to England, he encountered problems at the London Airport. His business card was in the carry-on luggage. When he attempted to unzip it, he was unsuccessful due to a jammed zipper. When he tugged it vigorously, it snapped and all of the contents of the bag fell to the ground. Q.3. Narrate briefly the incident of spilling a soft drink on to a co-passenger in a plane by the author. Ans. During one of his travels, the author spilled drink on the lap of the lovely lady seated next to him. The flight attendant attended to her cleanliness. The attendant handed him a replacement drink, which he once again spilled on the woman. The woman regarded him with a stupefied gaze. Q.4. What two reasons does Bill Bryson give for the absence of air miles cards with the hint? Ans. He claims to be a regular flyer. He must fly one million miles annually. However, he lacks additional air miles cards. Because he forgets to request air miles while purchasing a ticket. And occasionally, the air-station clerk provides an explanation for the unavailability of air miles cards. Q. 5. What is the ‘most outstanding thing’ that the writer, Bill Bryson, thinks he is not good at? What does this reveal about Bryon’s traits? Ans: The author Bill Bryson believes that living in the actual world is the “most outstanding thing” he is not good at. This demonstrates that he is so preoccupied with his own ideas that he fails to behave normally and causes accidents. LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS Q.1.How would you describe Bill Bryson as an accidental tourist? Give two instances from the test. Ans. Bill Bryson was such a tourist who remained almost all the year round on an aeroplane. Many accidents take place with him. So he is called an accidental tourist. The two incidents from the text are mentioned below.

Bill Bryson was a tourist who spent nearly the entire year on an aeroplane. He is involved in numerous accidents. Therefore, he is termed an accidental tourist. The two events from the text are listed below.

i) When his carry-on bag’s zipper breaks, all of his belongings spill out. The newspaper clippings and other items tumble downward in a fluttering manner. The coins are tossed around randomly. The tobacco tin without a lid ejects its contents in a frantic manner. About the size of a tennis court, these creatures are dispersed across this area.

(ii) During one of his trips, the author spilled soda on the lap of a lovely woman sitting next to him. She was cleaned up by the flight attendant. The attendant handed him a new drink, and he once again threw it at the woman. The woman regarded him with an expression of astonishment. Q. 2. Bring out the humour in the story “The Accidental Tourist”. Ans: “The Accidental Tourist” is a humorous story of the various mishaps brought on by a confused and clumsy individual. The author who narrates the incidents, Bill Bryson, discusses his experiences in a humorous manner. In describing how he disorganised the contents of his carry-on luggage while searching for his frequent flyer miles card, he refers to the contents as “a hundred meticulously organised paperwork.” When he cuts his finger on the zipper and sees his own blood, he justifies his hysteria. The fact that he is pinning himself in a crash posture while tying his shoelaces is yet another humorous occurrence. When he thoughtfully sucked on the end of his pen, he turned his mouth, chin, tongue, teeth, and gums navy blue. He resembled a clown due to his ink-stained mouth. In addition, the ‘essential ideas’ he describes were simply reminders to purchase socks and carefully hold drinks. The tongue-in-cheek tone of the anecdote is enhanced by his wife’s request that his children open food containers for him. His inability to receive frequent flyer points because the name on the card did not match the name on the ticket is yet another humorous incident. His explanation for not travelling to Bali, namely that he cannot go so long without food, is really humorous.

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