Good Night, Irene

Content Warning: The source material and this section of the guide discuss war-related trauma.

The Rapid City is a motif that represents the comfort and stability of home amidst the chaos and brutality of war. The truck signifies home for Irene and Dorothy because it stays constant amid the changing landscapes around them. However, the truck represents home for the soldiers as well, since the name evokes images of America, their homeland. Rapid City is a city in South Dakota, and each Clubmobile carries the name of a different city, town, or landmark in America. Irene learns that this “was Eisenhower’s plan—continuing his belief that these rolling bits of the homeland would bring comfort to the boys” (32). The organization of the Clubmobile Service itself stems from the idea that the presence of beautiful women serving food would stave off the troops’ homesickness and fear. Yet the truck becomes even more than a representation of home for the soldiers, for it serves as a physical home and a source of shelter and safety for Irene and Dorothy throughout their travels. For this reason, the truck’s explosion at the end of the novel connects to Irene’s trauma; she feels that her entire world has fallen apart, and any sense of safety and comfort is now gone.