Fifty Shades Of Greyhound Analysis

Harrison Scott Key, who was published in Best Travel Writing 2014, wrote about his travels on one of America’s infamous modes of transportation, the Greyhound Bus. In “Fifty Shades of Greyhound”, Key begins his memoir by recalling the first time he had ever ridden on a greyhound. He wanted to go see West Yellowstone, Montana and despite his friends questioning his sanity and his mother believing that he will die, he left. The narrator returned several days later, promising his mother he would never do anything like that again, eighteen years later he broke that promise. He begins his essay in a Greyhound station in Savannah.
As the writer waits at the station for his bus, he takes notice of his surroundings and the people around him, especially a lady with a bologna sandwich on her head. He begins this journey on Greyhound stage one: hope. He notices a sign taking about the future Greyhound Buses before he boards his own bus. Once on the bus Key talks about stage two: concern. He describes the passengers around him and his pirate driver.

He mentions the bus’s bathroom on his trip and how it was better to wait for the bus to be stop completely before going to use the facility. The bathroom was disgusting, with toilet paper looking as if a ferret mauled it. From this experience Harrison Scott Key goes into the next Greyhound stage: fear.
When the bus reached Myrtle Beach, Key hears rumors of clean restrooms.

Upon entering the immaculate restroom; the lights go out. Eventually he frees himself from the darkened bathroom; the author goes and stands next to two men. One is named Barrel for his demented Hell’s Angel hobo Viking look and the other had an injured leg resting on a laundry basket; the author called him Leg Boy. Hearing their conversation he reflects back to meeting veteran from the Gulf War who told him that “All women want to kill a man”. Once back on the bus, more passengers begin to board. Passengers begin to realize that they will need to share a seat. In order to not share his seat with an elderly woman, Key begins to change his appearance by flipping his glasses upside down, puts his cap on top of his head, making “dead eyes” and scrunching up in his seat. To add to his insane appearance the narrator bares his teeth. The aged woman passes by

him.
Out the corner of his eye the writer notices a girl watching him as he does this. The writer becomes paranoid, mentioning that he is not an animal. Next, he follows up with Greyhound stage four: he is an animal. He begins to question his sanity when the bus stops at the capitol of South Carolina. Spying a hot dog lying in the middle of road the author is unsure whether he should throw it away, eat it or put it in his shoe. Soon he finds a place to smoke, but he quickly realizes that bus will be departing soon, so he runs back to the bus. There he meets a younger man who shares a cigarette.
After everything that has happen to him during this trip, the author finally made it to the mountain. He realizes the final Greyhound stage: acceptance. He points out that while riding a bus, a person can find many truths, about themselves. He concludes how when people look back on their experience they do not remember the awful bathrooms or the harsh seats. Instead people recall about it dreamily and happily. Key wraps up his essay that he may not have that experience again, but he will still have that urge, to see fantastic things and the bus will be waiting to take him there.