Done and Dusted

The small town of Meadowlark, Wyoming, is not only the setting of Done and Dusted but also a complex symbol representing Emmy’s journey toward Feeling at Home. Growing up, Emmy had never felt like she belonged in Meadowlark, despite her reputation as the town sweetheart and her family’s high profile. As Luke describes it, “Meadowlark was a low ceiling, and when she left, she could grow past its barrier” (48), so Emmy took the earliest opportunity to get away from the town. However, when she returns to Meadowlark once she has nowhere else to go, Emmy is surprised that the town feels like home to her, admitting, “I thought I would feel trapped, like I did years ago. But I didn’t. I felt blissfully normal” (13). Even so, once Emmy starts to put down roots in her relationship with Luke, she starts to question whether she will feel trapped again. She wonders if her late mother, who was from a bigger city, ever regretted staying in Meadowlark, hinting at Emmy’s fears. The duality of Emmy’s feelings toward Meadowlark shows how she is not settled in life and is not quite sure how to be after her accident. However, as the novel progresses Emmy begins to venture out past the ranch and interact more with the people in town, showing how she is starting to feel more comfortable and at home in Meadowlark. When Emmy decides to give up her racing career once and for all, she knows that she wants to do it in Meadowlark to pay tribute to the town that made her who she is:

Maybe I just needed to leave for a while to realize this place was special, that I was proud to be from here, and because I was from here, I had a different experience from any other person out there. I used to think Meadowlark made me feel small, but in reality, I think I made myself feel that way (202).

Despite Emmy’s complicated relationship with the town, it symbolizes a place where she can feel at home to grow and change.