The Golden Age: 13. Meyer Walks Home Summary & Analysis

Meyer leaves the factory after his shift and feels invigorated by the unusually mild weather, which reminds him of Lake Balaton, where he spent his childhood. He decides to walk home. Even though he’s grateful to be safe in Australia, he still longs for the city in which he grew up. Despite his nostalgia for Budapest, he thinks he’ll never again “feel at home as he once had,” anywhere in the world. Moreover, he feels that to love any place too much is “a vanity,” especially since he’s a Jew.

Even though he thinks of Perth as an “innocent” city, Meyer can imagine the streets bombed and bodies littering the steps of public buildings. Caught up in his imaginings, for a minute he sees his brother Janos lying dead in a heap of bodies.

Meyer shakes his head to dispel the memory. When he remembers his dead family now, it seems as if he always knew something bad would happen, that they were “marked out” to die. Suddenly, he wants to see Frank, and he starts walking to the Golden Age. He doesn’t care that parents aren’t allowed to visit during the week.

Meyer walks past the prestigious Perth Modern School. Even though Frank spoke no English when they arrived in Australia, six years later he won a scholarship to that high school. His parents were overjoyed, celebrating with the neighbors and sending Frank to buy fish and chips. Later, they wondered if he caught polio in the crowded store.

Arriving at the Golden Age, Meyer finds Frank reading One Thousand and One nights. Frank is delighted to see his father, and Meyer feels humbled by such a loving reception. Even though Meyer missed much of Frank’s early life, father and son get along very well. Frank tells his father he’s started to walk by himself, although Meyer suspects this is a lie.

Meyer has endured many things, but Frank’s polio has been the hardest for him, since it emphasizes his inability to protect his son. He’s glad that his own father died before the war and never knew what happened to his own sons. Soon, Meyer rises to leave; Frank knows that he can’t whine for his father to stay, as the other children do. After Meyer leaves, Frank remembers he wanted to tell his father that he’s a poet.

As Meyer is leaving he runs into Sister Penny, who’s dressed up for a play at her daughter’s college. Meyer’s always been drawn to Sister Penny, but he finds her more attractive in her competent uniform than dressed in street clothes. He struggles to make conversation with her, but by talking about Frank she makes him feel at ease. Meyer sees a messy woman running into the hospital, who reminds him momentarily of his sister, Roszi. It’s Elsa’s mother, Margaret, who begs to be allowed to see her daughter.

As he walks home, Meyer feels different, more kindly disposed to the city and landscape he normally considers harsh and unwelcoming. He attributes the change to his interaction with Sister Penny, whom he considers fundamentally like himself, “vibrant with life” but at the same time “solitary.” He feels that they’ve both understood each other, although they chose not to draw any closer.

As the train pulls into the station, Meyer remembers walking on the beach with Ida and Frank shortly after their arrival in Australia. Ida and Frank ran in the waves while he lay down in the sand, exhausted. He felt peaceful and lonely at the same time. He thinks about the phrase “lie down with me,” and then wonders where it came from.