The Man on the Cable Car Character Analysis

The stranger on the cable car appears right at the story’s close, as Mrs. Sommers is traveling home from her shopping day. The man has “keen eyes” as he watches Mrs. Sommers carefully. The narrator describes how he observers her, trying to work out who she is, and presumably, why a working class woman like Mrs. Sommers has so many expensive things about her person. Ultimately, he is unable to make sense of what he sees. Through this, Chopin challenges the notion that women are all predictable, fickle, and one-dimensional creatures, instead endowing her complex female characters with rich inner psyches impervious to the scrutiny of men.