Rules of Civility

The narrative opens on October 4, 1966. The female narrator and a man named Val are attending the opening of Walker Evans’ photo exhibit entitled Many Are Called. It’s the first time the photos—taken during the 1930s on New York City subways using a secret camera—are being shown to the public. The mood is festive. America is ebullient and wealthy from the result of the war (Europe is in shambles, as well as its finances). In a sense, everyone is drunk off of this feeling. When the couple begins to look at the photos, the narrator understands why Walker was remiss in showing them, as if he feels guilty for catching such intimate and vulnerable moments of his subjects.

The narrator also mentions how, to the happy-go-lucky crowds, the photos come across as a slice of real Americana, while to people like the narrator, the faces come across like ghosts. The narrator was 16 years old when the Depression started and lived through the period of time when the photos were taken. For her, the photos are remembrances. As if to underscore this, she and Val—her husband—happen upon two photos of someone named Tinker Grey. The narrator mentions that she and Tinker were friends. The first photo was taken in 1938 and shows Tinker wearing expensive clothing. He looks dapper but unhappy. The second photo is of Tinker in 1939. He’s dressed poorly and has obviously fallen on hard times, but he looks younger and happier in the later photo. The photos cause the narrator to reflect back on 1938 and all those she was acquainted during that time.