The Far and the Near

In “The Far and the Near,” Thomas Wolfe explores the transformative effect of time on characters, relationships, and memories across a 20-year period. Wolfe uses imagery and events as markers of passing time in a fast-paced world just beyond the engineer’s ritualistic and consistent lifestyle aboard the train. This theme directly reflects the period in which this short story was created—amidst industrialization and a rapidly evolving society capable of creating an unnerving sense of disconnection with reality.

The passing of time is consistently acknowledged in the engineer’s memories of his career aboard the train. Through imagery, Wolfe emphasizes the deceptive nature of familiarity in the face of time’s progression. The train itself, repeating its daily trek with familiar sounds and movements, catapults through time every day as it passes through the town, both moving forward steadily and simultaneously creating a stagnant atmosphere for the engineer. Every time the train passes the cottage, the women wave and otherwise display signs of maturity and aging. Time is also marked in the negative experiences the engineer has aboard the train, including the many deaths he experiences. These tragedies are listed as he recounts them, marking moments in time in which he needed to call upon his positive association with the women and the cottage for solace.