Phlox was, indeed, the tragic heroine of this film. Her love for Art was deeply felt, all-pervasive, and truly sincere. Seldom in these modern times does one encounter a young woman as caring and concerned as Phlox was. In these days of short-term romantic flings, her love was deep, abiding, and passionate. Her heartfelt concern for Art's welfare, as she kept vigil at his apartment, was deeply touching. The scene where Phlox asked him to introduce her to his Dad, only to be met with Art's cold,dismissive attitude was absolutely heartbreaking. Unfortunately, her love was unrequited, and Art callously chose to cast her aside for his narcissistic blonde floozy and her self-destructive bisexual boyfriend. Phlox endeavored to create a passionate, loving environment at Book Barn, but Art rejected it, preferring instead to go drinking and drugging with his degenerate new friends. It might seem that Phlox's shredding of his apron and altering his nametag was a bit excessive, yet, at the end of the day, it was the only way in which she could express her grief and sense of abandonment. At the film's conclusion, Art himself is alone and abandoned, friendless, jobless, with no future. He has rejected the love that Phlox offered, and has gotten what he deserves. In all likelihood, he will end up a homeless vagrant wandering the streets of Pittsburgh.
We can only hope that Phlox was able to find some measure of comfort with her well-endowed new boyfriend who, albeit a little thuggish, nontheless appears to be a loyal and protective guy. And on some cold, frosty winter night in Pittsburgh, as Art crawls into some packing-crate beneath a bridge to sleep off some drunken binge, perhaps his thoughts will drift back to memories of lost opportunities, happier days at Book Barn, and the vanished love that might have been.
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