The Accidental Tourist

The motif of travel and tourism helps support the theme of emotional distance as explored throughout the novel. With Macon’s job as a writer for travel guides, he is regularly jetting off to different cities and countries to update the information in his guidebooks. His travel creates regular physical distance between Macon and those he cares about, which translates into emotional distance that affects Macon’s relationships.

However, Macon doesn’t feel like a tourist just when traveling. Upon returning from his trip to London, he finds he’s unfamiliar with his marital home now that Sarah is gone. He explains this disconnect by relating it to his guidebook, referring to himself as an “Accidental Tourist at Home” (42). Macon also sees his relationship with Muriel as a form of tourism, referring to her street as “the foreign country that was Singleton Street” (202) and later feeling “like someone demonstrating how well he got on with the natives” when Charles visits Muriel’s home. This motif helps to explain the distance Macon feels and maintains between certain people and aspects of his life.