Tales of the City

“‘But you won’t be… the same!’

‘No. I hope not.’” 

After Mary Ann arrives in San Francisco on vacation, she decides to move her entire life west from Cleveland. The audience is introduced to her as she explains the decision to her parents. When Mary Ann can finally pierce her mother’s chatter, the news seems to shatter her mother. As she says in the quote, she fears that the city will change Mary Ann beyond all recognition. As Mary Ann replies, this is exactly what she wants. This suggests that three days in the cultural cauldron that is San Francisco is enough to recognize the city’s transformative powers. It informs the reader that there is something special about this city, something which has seduced an innocent girl from Cleveland. It also reveals that Mary Ann is someone who wants change and is not afraid of pursuing it. Mary Ann might not like who she is currently, but she hopes her newfound home has the power to change her for the better. 

“‘This city loosens people up.’” 

After the first chapter introduces Mary Ann and her desire for change, the second reinforces the notion of the city as a place with transformative powers. Mary Ann meets with Connie. Though she was never exactly like Connie (who had been far more popular), Mary Ann is from the same town and even from the same school.