The Girl On The Train Analysis

Rachel Watson a 30 year old happily married woman, living out her dream life. Dream job in the fashion industry and it’s just a train ride away. Dream house with all furniture she picked out and its just close enough to the train station. Dream husband who provides her with everything she needs. But that was two years ago, Rachel Watson a 32-year-old alcoholic, divorced from her dream husband who took her dream house. All she has left now is her job, which isn’t all too dreamy anymore, and the train rides, which are her only real time to think. This is the story of The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. Three significant objects in this story are, the train, alcohol and Rachel’s old house.

The first significant object is the train. The train

represents a second home for Rachel; this is very much like her own little world. This is really where she has time away from her hectic life and has time to think about things at a better time. Rachel’s daily train rode straight past her old home that now resides her ex husband, Tom and his new wife, Anna and child. She often times thinks about what her old life was like when she lived there. She became fixated on the life of neighbors of her ex husband. She calls them Jess and Jason although she has never met them or even seen them any closer than the length from the train to the house. She imagines Jess and Jason live a perfect life like she had once only a couple years before. She also often thinks about what Tom and Anna are doing in HER home. Although she hates herself for thinking of them so often she is not averse to the train, as a matter of fact she loves the train.

Which leads me to my second most important object, Rachel’s old house. This was her first ever home. Their first ever home, she bought it with Tom. It was the start of what she thought was going to be her fairy tale life. That was until Anna came, “I want to know how it makes her feel. I want to call her back and ask her, What does it feel like, Anna, to live in my house surrounded by furniture I bought, to sleep on the bed that I shared with him for years? (Hawkins, 34)” Rachel becomes infatuated with thoughts of Tom and Anna together loving one another in the way that she was supposed to be loving him and the way he was supposed to love her back. But for some reason she cannot stop herself from thinking of that house as she rides past it every day something always just coerces her.

My final important object is alcohol.

Rachel is an alcoholic and there is no doubt about it although she is in all types of denial about it. “When I drink I hardly sleep at all. I pass out cold for an hour or two, then I wake, sick with fear, sick with myself. If I have a day when I don’t drink, that night I fall into the heaviest of slumbers, a deep unconsciousness and in the morning I cannot wake properly, I cannot shake sleep, it stays with me for hours, sometimes all day long. (Hawkins, 28)” Everyone in Rachel’s life is aware of her problem and suffering but not many people say much about it in fear of hurting her. Including her friend Cathy, Rachel moved in with Cathy after the divorce so she could land on her feet. Unfortunately Cathy finally had, had enough and asked Rachel to find a new place to stay within the next four weeks. Cathy sees that Rachel is in jeopardy and recommends therapy but Rachel refuses.

To conclude the three main objects are the train, Rachel’s old house and alcohol. All of these items play a very large role in the story and in who Rachel is. Some for the better and some for the worse, however I hope that Rachel soon finds peace with all of things both good and bad, what I think Rachel truly needs is a balanced constant in her

life.