Sarah’s Separation from Her Infant

Small Things Like These

Sarah Redmond’s missing infant concentrates the story’s broader account of mothers deprived of their children and makes her plea a demand that Bill Furlong fails to answer at first.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

A Mother Hidden Away A Mother Hidden Away from "Small Things Like These". A Mother Hidden Away Stigma and confinement Sarah Redmond’s position reflects the treatment of unmarried mothers whose pregnancies bring social rejection.

A Mother Hidden Away from "Small Things Like These". A Mother Hidden Away Stigma and confinement Sarah Redmond’s position reflects the treatment of unmarried mothers whose pregnancies bring social rejection.

A Mother Hidden Away Stigma and confinement Sarah Redmond’s position reflects the treatment of unmarried mothers whose pregnancies bring social rejection. Her life is controlled within an institution that claims to reform and care for girls. Family bonds under threat Her circumstances place mother and child under the same system but do not guarantee they will remain together. The possibility of separation shadows her attempts to find safety.

The Infant Taken The Infant Taken from "Small Things Like These". The Infant Taken Separation disclosed Sarah tells Bill Furlong that her fourteen-week-old baby has been taken from her.

The Infant Taken from "Small Things Like These". The Infant Taken Separation disclosed Sarah tells Bill Furlong that her fourteen-week-old baby has been taken from her.

The Infant Taken Separation disclosed Sarah tells Bill Furlong that her fourteen-week-old baby has been taken from her. She does not know where the infant is or who is feeding him. A demand beyond escape Her immediate need is not only to leave the shed. She wants information and access to her child, a request that makes the institution’s control reach beyond its walls.

The Question Unanswered The Question Unanswered from "Small Things Like These". The Question Unanswered A plea made plainly Sarah asks Bill Furlong to inquire about her baby, believing the child may still be inside.

The Question Unanswered from "Small Things Like These". The Question Unanswered A plea made plainly Sarah asks Bill Furlong to inquire about her baby, believing the child may still be inside.

The Question Unanswered A plea made plainly Sarah asks Bill Furlong to inquire about her baby, believing the child may still be inside. Her request is concrete and urgent. The witness’s failure Bill Furlong does not insist on an answer before the convent door closes. He leaves with Sarah’s most important question unresolved, a failure that becomes central to his remorse.

The Memory of the Milk The Memory of the Milk from "Small Things Like These". The Memory of the Milk A bodily reminder Bill Furlong later remembers the milk leaking through Sarah’s cardigan and staining her blouse.

The Memory of the Milk from "Small Things Like These". The Memory of the Milk A bodily reminder Bill Furlong later remembers the milk leaking through Sarah’s cardigan and staining her blouse.

The Memory of the Milk A bodily reminder Bill Furlong later remembers the milk leaking through Sarah’s cardigan and staining her blouse. The physical detail makes the separation impossible to treat as an abstract rumor. Guilt sharpened He had seen evidence of recent motherhood and still left without asking about the infant. The memory links his own passivity to the child’s absence.

A Rescue without Reunion A Rescue without Reunion from "Small Things Like These". A Rescue without Reunion The mother brought out Bill Furlong takes Sarah away from the convent but cannot establish where her baby is.

A Rescue without Reunion from "Small Things Like These". A Rescue without Reunion The mother brought out Bill Furlong takes Sarah away from the convent but cannot establish where her baby is.

A Rescue without Reunion The mother brought out Bill Furlong takes Sarah away from the convent but cannot establish where her baby is. Her escape from confinement does not restore the family bond already broken. An unfinished demand The story ends with Sarah moving toward shelter, not with a reunion or an answer. Her infant’s uncertain whereabouts remain an indictment of the system and a limit on what Bill Furlong can repair.

before December 1985

before the Sunday before Christmas

the Sunday before Christmas at the convent entrance

the Sunday before Christmas after Bill Furlong returns home

Christmas Eve night