Volume 1 likely follows the gang as they ride from the Midwest to the Pacific Northwest, hopping grainers, boxcars, and coal drags. Along the way, they engage in what they call “groping towns”—brief, violent incursions into small-town America: stealing from big-box stores, sabotaging rail signals, and leaving cryptic graffiti that reads “RA LOCKE WAS HERE.”
4/5 Boxcar Grains Trigger Warnings: Assault, addiction, violence, language. Groping America V. 1 Riding With The Train Gang Ra Locke
Furthermore, the text serves as a grim sociological study of urban apathy. Through the narrator’s observations, Locke paints a portrait of a citizenry that has been desensitized to transgression. The "Groping America" of the title suggests a nation that has become accustomed to infringement, whether it be the infringement of personal space or the infringement of rights. The train becomes a microcosm of America itself: a system theoretically designed for mutual benefit and progress, yet plagued by systemic abuse and a lack of accountability. The "gang" thrives because the society around them has chosen to look away, prioritizing the destination over the dignity of the journey. Volume 1 likely follows the gang as they