Structure

The short story “Greyhound Tragedy” by Richard Brautigan has a minimalist structure. With a short text, the story follows a single event plot: a young woman’s failed attempt to leave her hometown and go to Hollywood to pursue her dream of becoming a movie star.

Title

The title of the story, “Greyhound Tragedy”, is intriguing at first because the word “greyhound” might refer to a dog breed or an American bus company. As we read the story, we realize the title refers to the bus service. The story follows the main character’s struggle to gather the courage and go to a bus station to find out the cost of a ticket to Hollywood. Consequently, the title hints at the character’s drama in a satirical way. The tragedy she is living in the story is not caused by external circumstances or fate, but by her indecisiveness and lack of courage to follow her dreams. Although she dreams of going to Hollyw...