The Boy and the Fair

“Do you remember the Midway? The Snake-Eater, and the Living Skeleton, the Fat Woman and the Shoot the Chute, the Scenic Railway and the Ferris Wheel?” (50).

The Book

The Lost Boy by Thomas Wolfe is a unique book that is enjoyable to read. Wolfe breaks the book into four parts that are all connected by two things: his older brother Grover and the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. Grover died after a trip to the Fair and his death is linked to the family’s memories of the Fair.

Part One is narrated by a third person and introduces the reader to Grover. The focus is less on dialogue and more on describing Grover and his day in the town square. At the end, Grover sees a sign for the Fair. Part Two is a re-telling of the train ride to the Fair by Grover’s mother to Wolfe. The mother relives the excitement of the Fair and her love for Grover. Part Three is a re-telling of trips to the Fair by Grover’s older sister to Wolfe. This part is written like a one-sided conversation and the sister recalls the day Grover became sick. Part Four finds Wolfe returning to the family’s home in St. Louis and re-calling the year of the Fair. Throughout this part, Wolfe is looking for the home and Grover.

The introduction provides background on Wolfe and his family which helps the reader to understand the context. Wolfe writes descriptively and provides the words for the reader to visualize the places and people. The Lost Boy delves into the loss felt by a family after the early death of a child in an interesting way. The family recalls Grover and the impact he is still having on their lives, all while underneath the shadow of memories of the Fair.

The Place

Forest Park was the home of the 1904 World’s Fair (Louisiana Purchase Exposition) and the 1904 Summer Olympics. The Park is a huge plot of land just to the west of downtown St. Louis and there are many attractions. Visitors can visit the Missouri History Museum, St. Louis Art Museum, St. Louis Science Center, and St. Louis Zoo. In addition to picnics and walking trails, there are also paddleboats. The Muny is an outdoor theatre that puts on musicals throughout the summer.

There is plenty of parking at Forest Park and majority of the attractions are free. The park provides signs that point out directions for points of interest. When I visited, my friends and I walked through the St. Louis Art Museum. The pieces on display provide a wide variety of art styles; my favorite was the large water lily piece by Monet. We also visited the World’s Fair Pavilion. According to the Forest Park website, this building was “built in 1909 with proceeds from the 1904 World's Fair.” Although it wasn’t standing during the Fair, a walk up to the Pavilion provides a great view of the Park.