The River and the Idea of Freedom

Small Things Like These

The River Barrow gathers the story’s images of escape and dangerous fate, contrasting Sarah’s wish to drown with the eventual journey toward a possible home.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

The River Below Town The River Below Town from "Small Things Like These". The River Below Town A view from the lorry After leaving the coal shed, Sarah Redmond looks toward the dark river and asks whether it is the River Barrow.

The River Below Town from "Small Things Like These". The River Below Town A view from the lorry After leaving the coal shed, Sarah Redmond looks toward the dark river and asks whether it is the River Barrow.

The River Below Town A view from the lorry After leaving the coal shed, Sarah Redmond looks toward the dark river and asks whether it is the River Barrow. Bill Furlong describes its salmon and strong current. Freedom seen from confinement The river lies beyond the convent but does not yet offer Sarah safety. Its open movement contrasts with the closed spaces from which she has just emerged.

A Request to Drown A Request to Drown from "Small Things Like These". A Request to Drown Despair expressed directly A girl at the convent asks Bill Furlong to take her to the river and says she wants to drown herself.

A Request to Drown from "Small Things Like These". A Request to Drown Despair expressed directly A girl at the convent asks Bill Furlong to take her to the river and says she wants to drown herself.

A Request to Drown Despair expressed directly A girl at the convent asks Bill Furlong to take her to the river and says she wants to drown herself. Her request shows how confinement can make death seem like the only available escape. A rescue refused Bill Furlong does not take her. The river’s meaning is therefore divided between freedom and danger, and the first encounter ends without relief.

The River Legend The River Legend from "Small Things Like These". The River Legend Water and fatality While crossing the River Barrow, Bill Furlong remembers the story of a curse said to claim three lives each year.

The River Legend from "Small Things Like These". The River Legend Water and fatality While crossing the River Barrow, Bill Furlong remembers the story of a curse said to claim three lives each year.

The River Legend Water and fatality While crossing the River Barrow, Bill Furlong remembers the story of a curse said to claim three lives each year. His mother had connected the tale to real drownings. A story of inevitability The legend suggests a town living under forces it cannot command. Bill Furlong’s own choices complicate that fatalism by showing that people may still intervene in another’s path.

Water Flowing to the Sea Water Flowing to the Sea from "Small Things Like These". Water Flowing to the Sea A course envied Crossing the bridge with Sarah Redmond, Bill Furlong envies the river’s certainty and its unhindered movement toward…

Water Flowing to the Sea from "Small Things Like These". Water Flowing to the Sea A course envied Crossing the bridge with Sarah Redmond, Bill Furlong envies the river’s certainty and its unhindered movement toward…

Water Flowing to the Sea A course envied Crossing the bridge with Sarah Redmond, Bill Furlong envies the river’s certainty and its unhindered movement toward the open sea. He feels less free than the water beside him. Freedom imagined, not secured Sarah is moving away from confinement, but her future and the baby’s whereabouts remain uncertain. The river offers an image of release without guaranteeing that human lives can follow its course.

A Path Toward Home A Path Toward Home from "Small Things Like These". A Path Toward Home Choosing another destination Instead of taking Sarah toward the river, Bill Furlong leads her across town toward his own home.

A Path Toward Home from "Small Things Like These". A Path Toward Home Choosing another destination Instead of taking Sarah toward the river, Bill Furlong leads her across town toward his own home.

A Path Toward Home Choosing another destination Instead of taking Sarah toward the river, Bill Furlong leads her across town toward his own home. The direction turns the earlier image of escape into a concrete attempt at shelter. Freedom begins in company Sarah’s future remains open, but she is no longer walking alone. The change is limited and immediate, not a claim that one act has solved the harm.

the Sunday before Christmas before dawn

early December 1985

Christmas Eve evening

Christmas Eve night after Bill Furlong returns to the convent

the final moments of Christmas Eve