Annie is not without some control, however, as despite her "walking out" with John, she "kept her own boy dangling in the distance." Does this suggest she is similar to John Thomas in her treatment of the opposite sex? Does this make them an even match? Why do you think Lawrence gives Annie another "boy" in the background? Where is this other boy? Could he be a soldier?

The character of Annie in the short story "Tickets, Please" is aggressive and tart, and she can hold her own. In this sense, she is similar to the character of John Thomas, her former boyfriend and the antagonist of the story. Like John Thomas, who dates and then drops many women, Annie also has a boyfriend while she dates John Thomas. Lawrence writes about this boyfriend and about Annie's initial feelings toward John Thomas, "But Annie had always kept him fully at arm's length. Besides, she had a boy of her own."
Annie is similar to John Thomas and is an even match with him. Like John Thomas, she does not really rely on the opposite sex to take care of her—she can take care of herself. She also is able to accurately judge that John Thomas will not commit himself to her. She is as wise to the world and to the opposite sex as John Thomas is. Perhaps she is even wiser, as she outwits John Thomas in the end. Lawrence gives Annie another boy to stress the idea that she can also date more than one man and is as aggressive and wily as men are. The reader knows very little about who Annie's boyfriend is; he is perhaps a soldier or sailor, as he does not seem to be around very much and is not present during the action of the story. The story takes place during World War I, when many men are away, so it is likely that Annie's boyfriend is a soldier of some sort.