Name: Adi Bagus Pangestu

Student Number: 2211418015

Subject: Book and Review
Agenda: Summary “The Accidental Tourist” Chapter 6, 7, and 8
Majors: English Literature

Summary Chapter 6
Muriel visiting Macon for a training session with Edward. She divulges much about her
personal life, such as how her son, Alexander, was not planned and how her first marriage was
tumultuous. Muriel suggests to Macon that he should get together with Alexander, as her son
does not have enough men in his life, and Macon declines. Later, the Leary siblings plan for the
upcoming Thanksgiving dinner and Rose reveals she has invited Julian to come. Macon is not
exactly pleased with the fact that his sister is dating his boss.
The evening before Thanksgiving, Porter’s children, Danny, Liberty, and Susan, come to the
Leary household. The children and adults eat carry-out pizza for dinner. There is the smell of
turkey in the air and Rose explains she is roasting the turkey all night using a slow-heating
method of cooking. As a result, the turkey comes out for Thanksgiving dinner quite dry and not
fully cooked, so no one eats it. Rose breaks out crying, accusing her family of trying to
embarrass her in front of Julian.
At the next training lesson, while walking Edward in the park, Muriel is telling Macon about
that having a baby was what broke up her marriage, as her ex-husband Norman abandoned any
interest in Alexander after the child became sick. Eventually, this leads to their divorce. As
Muriel tells Macon this very personal story, Macon feels “some kind of connection” to her and
abruptly kisses her. Muriel’s “pressing” quality causes Macon to draw back and apologize for
the kiss. They continue walking the dog.
Macon takes his niece Susan, the daughter of Porter, on his work trip to Philadelphia. On the
train ride, while Susan sleeps, Macon thinks about how Ethan had rarely accompanied him on
his trips. Macon takes Susan around to the various hotels and restaurants that he has to review.
At dinner, she recalls a story of Ethan and then apologizes for mentioning him. This makes
Macon realize that Ethan’s cousins also miss him. Susan becomes tipsy after one cocktail and
chats endlessly to Macon through the meal.
At the next dog-training lesson, Edward has learned to lie down. This pleases Muriel. She
tells Macon that he didn’t need to apologize for kissing her the other day. Macon explains that
he is still not legally divorced. He wants to say that he is not ready for an intimate relationship,
but he cannot get the words out. Muriel talks about all the strange and creative ways she has
tried to make money over the years. She invites Macon over for dinner the next night with her
and Alexander. During the lesson, Muriel needs to stop by the doctor’s office to pick up her son
from an appointment. Macon gets to meet Alexander, who is a very small, sickly boy with many
allergies. Muriel expects to see Macon the next day for dinner but Macon feels like he can’t
bring himself to come, missing his own family.
That night, Macon contemplates calling Muriel to tell her that he would not come for dinner.
He wants to express that his son died, but he realizes that he has never before said this out loud
to anyone. He decides to write a letter instead. He drives to Muriel’s house, which is in a bad
neighborhood of the city, to hand-deliver it. When she opens the door, Macon blurts out the
story of Ethan and says that he is not up to being around children again. Muriel brings him into
her house and listens as he spills his heart out about the difficulty of coping with grief. She
insists that he lie down to rest in her bedroom, and they end up sleeping together. In the
middle of the night, Macon sees the scar on Muriel’s stomach from her Caesarean section and
feels that Muriel must somewhat understand the pain Macon has been through.

Summary Chapter 7
Macon starts to spend more and more time with Muriel. Rose becomes worried when
Macon often misses family meals. Rose says that she doesn’t want to pry into his personal life,
but she is clearly curious about Macon’s budding relationship with Muriel. One night, he brings
over pizza to Muriel’s house. When Macon arrives, Alexander says he cannot eat any because of
his allergies. Muriel is on the phone with her mother, complaining that she doesn’t care enough
about Alexander’s health. Muriel is delighted to see Macon, and Macon feels happy that
someone appreciates his presence again.
One day, when Macon goes into Julian’s office to hand in a work draft, he finds out Julian is
planning to propose to Rose on Christmas. He already has a diamond ring ready for the
occasion. Macon takes another trip for work, and this time he brings Muriel. They fly on a small
commuter plane; as they fly over many roofs of houses, Macon has a sense of all the different
private lives these houses contain.
Macon starts to settle into an orderly routine. He feels that he has no room in his life for
anyone besides Muriel, who is very extreme and unpredictable to him. There are things about
her that he does not like, such as her ceaseless talking and her focus on superficial things like
makeup. He does not love her, but he loves “the surprise of her.” One time, Macon tries to
teach Alexander how to fix a kitchen faucet, even though Muriel argues he is too weak to do it.
Muriel invites Macon to Christmas dinner to meet her family. Macon doesn’t want to go, but he
does anyway.
It is Christmas day and Macon drives with Muriel and Alexander to Muriel’s parents’ house,
which is in a lower-class neighborhood in Baltimore. On the way, Muriel slyly asks Macon if he
would ever consider moving in with her. Macon says he has not given it much thought yet.
Once they arrive, Macon meets Muriel’s sister Claire and her mother, Mrs. Dugan, who greets
Macon without much enthusiasm. She expresses concern that Macon is not yet divorced and
thus won’t commit to her daughter. Muriel and her mother bicker back and forth throughout
the day; at the dinner table, Macon has a feeling of “dislocation” in what is a very different type
of family than his own. Muriel’s mother reveals much about Muriel’s life and how she had
previously been interested in her wealthy boss.
After Muriel and Macon return home, she accuses him of being mad at her, worried that
Macon thinks she is solely on the lookout for rich men, but Macon is completely indifferent.
Instead, he changes the subject to Ethan and how hard it was to celebrate the last Christmas
without him. He tells Muriel that this Christmas was much better. Muriel gives him a photo of
her as a toddler. Macon thanks her, but inwardly, he can’t help but think that the photo does
not represent the best of Muriel but rather her fierce and determined nature.
Macon begins to spend all his time with Muriel and pretty much lives at her place, even
bringing Edward to her house with him. Alexander takes a liking to the dog and surprisingly
does not have an allergic reaction to him. Macon tries to hide from Alexander the fact that he
sleeps in the same bed as his mother, thinking it might confuse him. Macon begins to get into
the rhythm of his routine with Muriel and Alexander, working at their house while they are off
at school and work. Through living with her, Macon begins to understand Muriel’s quirks better,
such as her belief in the supernatural and her inconsistent parenting style.
When Alexander returns from school, Macon takes care of him and helps him with
homework. He enjoys being able to nurture the boy without having the full responsibility of an
actual parent. Muriel often returns from work with stories to tell and likes to call her mother
and sister while making dinner. Neighbors frequently come by in the evening to talk to her and
ask favors of her, never paying much attention to Macon.
One day, there is a big snowstorm and everyone stays home for the day. To Macon’s
surprise, his brother Charles shows up at Muriel’s house to pick him up, informing him that the
pipes at Macon’s house have burst. Macon is “remarkably calm” about the situation. Charles
drives Macon back to his house; on the way, he tells him that Rose is planning her wedding to
Julian for April.
Arriving at Macon’s house, the brothers find that it has been thoroughly destroyed by the
leaking pipe, with everything soaked and covered in plaster. Charles is upset; Macon, on the
other hand, is unfazed by the damage and is eager to leave again. During the car ride back to
Muriel’s place, Charles confronts Macon about his new relationship. He reveals that none of his
siblings think it’s right for him to be dating such a younger woman of a different class and that
Macon has changed for the worse. Macon insists that he is wrong and eagerly returns to
Muriel’s house, feeling a sense of freedom being back there.
Summary chapter 8
Macon is on a plane, heading home after a business trip to San Francisco, and sits next to a
man who he finds out is a big fan of his guidebook series. He returns to Baltimore just as spring
starts. He arrives at Muriel’s house when no one else is home and observes the disarray. While
Macon is walking Edward, he runs into Alexander, who is running away from a pack of bullies.
Later, Julian shows up at Muriel’s house to see Macon, and Macon is forced to introduce Muriel
to his boss. After, Julian expresses that, unlike the rest of the Leary family, he can understand
Macon's feelings for Muriel.
Macon takes Alexander shopping for new clothes one day; while Alexander is trying on the
clothes, he runs into Scott, an old classmate of Ethan, and Scott’s mother, Laurel Canfield. Next,
he runs into Mrs. Sidey, Sarah’s mother. Macon finds himself in an awkward scenario when
Mrs. Sidey asks why Macon is there and whose child Alexander is.