p ired ▁but ▁the ▁fact ▁that ▁West ▁has ▁chosen ▁to ▁tell ▁it ▁so ▁many ▁times ▁is ▁in ▁itself ▁significant . ▁First ly , ▁there ▁is ▁the ▁idea ▁of ▁failure ▁at ▁baseball , ▁the ▁national ▁past ime , ▁which ▁would ▁indicate ▁failure ▁as ▁an ▁American . ▁Second ly , ▁the ▁specific ▁image ▁of ▁the ▁per sec uted ▁human ▁fle eing ▁from ▁his ▁tor ment ors ▁is ▁an ▁all ▁too ▁familiar ▁arch et ype ▁of ▁pog rom s ▁and ▁per sec utions . ▁This ▁image ▁would ▁later ▁figure ▁as ▁a ▁key ▁symbol ▁in ▁West ' s ▁final ▁novel ▁The ▁Day ▁of ▁the ▁Loc ust . ▁The ▁general ▁notion ▁of ▁a ▁society ▁looking ▁for ▁a ▁sc ap ego at , ▁and ▁finding ▁one ▁in ▁the ▁form ▁of ▁a ▁ha pl ess ▁fool , ▁would ▁echo ▁in ▁both ▁Miss ▁L on ely he arts ▁and ▁A ▁C ool ▁Mill ion . ▁ ▁In ▁" West ern ▁Union ▁Boy ", ▁as ▁in ▁his ▁nov els , ▁West ▁keeps ▁an ▁ir onic ▁distance ▁from ▁his ▁protagon ists . ▁The ▁baseball ▁game ▁is ▁dist anced ▁from ▁West ▁and ▁his ▁narr ator ▁in ▁its ▁representation ▁as ▁a ▁d run ken ▁re collection ▁of ▁a ▁rec urr ing ▁dream . ▁Un like ▁the ▁an ec d ote ▁where ▁West ▁is ▁the ▁one ▁being ▁ch ased , ▁in ▁the ▁transition ▁into ▁fiction ▁he ▁thrust s ▁the ▁event ▁upon ▁a ▁path etic ▁character ▁and ▁joins ▁his ▁American ▁audience ▁in ▁mock ery . ▁Within ▁the ▁framework ▁of ▁this ▁story ▁the ▁mock ery ▁seems ▁to ▁be