Chance and the Shape of a Life

Small Things Like These

Birth, death, possible paternity, and the chance meeting with Sarah make Bill Furlong question whether fate determines lives or whether choice can redirect them.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

A Birth Made Contingent A Birth Made Contingent from "Small Things Like These". A Birth Made Contingent Circumstance and survival Bill Furlong’s future depends on his mother’s employment and Mrs Wilson’s decision to keep her in the…

A Birth Made Contingent from "Small Things Like These". A Birth Made Contingent Circumstance and survival Bill Furlong’s future depends on his mother’s employment and Mrs Wilson’s decision to keep her in the…

A Birth Made Contingent Circumstance and survival Bill Furlong’s future depends on his mother’s employment and Mrs Wilson’s decision to keep her in the household. A different response could have left both without support. The accident of protection His life is shaped not only by character but by chance help at a vulnerable moment. The story later asks whether recognizing that contingency creates an obligation to act.

A Father Unknown A Father Unknown from "Small Things Like These". A Father Unknown An empty space on record Bill Furlong’s birth certificate gives no name for his father.

A Father Unknown from "Small Things Like These". A Father Unknown An empty space on record Bill Furlong’s birth certificate gives no name for his father.

A Father Unknown An empty space on record Bill Furlong’s birth certificate gives no name for his father. The blank cannot be filled by his mother, who dies before revealing an answer. Identity without certainty The uncertainty invites speculation about visitors and resemblance but no conclusion. The story treats origins as partly accidental and not fully recoverable.

A Road Without a Map A Road Without a Map from "Small Things Like These". A Road Without a Map Losing the way After leaving the convent, Bill Furlong misses a turn and wanders through fog on unfamiliar roads.

A Road Without a Map from "Small Things Like These". A Road Without a Map Losing the way After leaving the convent, Bill Furlong misses a turn and wanders through fog on unfamiliar roads.

A Road Without a Map Losing the way After leaving the convent, Bill Furlong misses a turn and wanders through fog on unfamiliar roads. An old man tells him that the road will take him wherever he wants to go. Choice inside chance The remark transforms a wrong turn into a question of direction. Bill Furlong cannot control every circumstance, but the story keeps attention on the decisions he makes within them.

A Curse on the River A Curse on the River from "Small Things Like These". A Curse on the River A local legend Bill Furlong recalls a story that the River Barrow takes three lives each year.

A Curse on the River from "Small Things Like These". A Curse on the River A local legend Bill Furlong recalls a story that the River Barrow takes three lives each year.

A Curse on the River A local legend Bill Furlong recalls a story that the River Barrow takes three lives each year. His mother had believed that the tale contained some truth. Fate against action The legend gives the river a fatal pull, while Sarah once wanted to reach it to drown. Bill Furlong’s later decision offers a human alternative to treating suffering as inevitable.

Choosing a Different Road Choosing a Different Road from "Small Things Like These". Choosing a Different Road Returning by decision Bill Furlong goes back to the convent and takes Sarah away.

Choosing a Different Road from "Small Things Like These". Choosing a Different Road Returning by decision Bill Furlong goes back to the convent and takes Sarah away.

Choosing a Different Road Returning by decision Bill Furlong goes back to the convent and takes Sarah away. He chooses a path that risks family and business security rather than accepting the course others have set for her. Chance not destiny The story does not promise a safe outcome, but it distinguishes uncertainty from helplessness. A person cannot control every beginning; a decision can still alter what happens next.

April 1946

Bill Furlong’s adolescence

the Sunday before Christmas after the convent delivery

Christmas Eve after dark

Christmas Eve night