Rules of Civility

Though Katey doesn’t state this explicitly until the epilogue, choice is at the root of the novel. Katey believes that the choices people make become a path which leads a person forward. Luck can have a hand in this, or God, but these choices make or break people; all choices come with a price. For instance, Katey chooses early on to let Eve have dibs on Tinker. Their friendship must then weather Katey also having feelings for Tinker but not wanting to do anything about it because of Eve’s “claim” on him. When they get into an accident and Eve is disfigured, Tinker chooses to remain by Eve’s side due to guilt. Though the two see each other again, Katey chooses not to pursue Tinker despite him kissing her. She’s made a choice not to get in the way of him and Eve, even though the reader knows that this isn’t what Katey (or Tinker) truly wants.

Tinker also makes a choice when he agrees to be Anne’s paid lover. He views this as his way to move up in the world. Sadly, he also chooses not to be honest with Katey, which ultimately backfires. To Katey, Tinker has chosen to be a fiction, not like Wallace.