Eileen and Bill’s Marriage Under Pressure

Small Things Like These

Bill Furlong and Eileen Furlong share affection and practical partnership, but the convent crisis exposes different ideas about safety, duty, and risk.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

A Practical Courtship A Practical Courtship from "Small Things Like These". A Practical Courtship Building a partnership Bill Furlong meets Eileen while she works in an office, and they court through ordinary outings and walks.

A Practical Courtship from "Small Things Like These". A Practical Courtship Building a partnership Bill Furlong meets Eileen while she works in an office, and they court through ordinary outings and walks.

A Practical Courtship Building a partnership Bill Furlong meets Eileen while she works in an office, and they court through ordinary outings and walks. He admires her intelligence and practical nature. A shared future The marriage develops into a household organized around work and raising daughters. Their partnership is affectionate, though its routines leave little room for extended reflection.

The Work of Family Life The Work of Family Life from "Small Things Like These". The Work of Family Life Shared responsibilities At Christmas, Eileen Furlong manages shopping, cooking, ironing, and the children’s plans while Bill Furlong…

The Work of Family Life from "Small Things Like These". The Work of Family Life Shared responsibilities At Christmas, Eileen Furlong manages shopping, cooking, ironing, and the children’s plans while Bill Furlong…

The Work of Family Life Shared responsibilities At Christmas, Eileen Furlong manages shopping, cooking, ironing, and the children’s plans while Bill Furlong handles deliveries and the business. They acknowledge each other’s labor. Love expressed practically Their care appears through food, household planning, and attention to their daughters. The marriage is not loveless; its tension comes partly from how easily routine can crowd out difficult conversation.

A Conversation Cut Short A Conversation Cut Short from "Small Things Like These". A Conversation Cut Short Competing priorities Bill Furlong tells Eileen Furlong about the girls at the convent.

A Conversation Cut Short from "Small Things Like These". A Conversation Cut Short Competing priorities Bill Furlong tells Eileen Furlong about the girls at the convent.

A Conversation Cut Short Competing priorities Bill Furlong tells Eileen Furlong about the girls at the convent. She argues that their family cannot take responsibility for every hardship and that keeping on requires ignoring some things. An injury in the argument Her suggestion that Bill Furlong was raised far from hardship wounds him. Their disagreement exposes a difference between his identification with the vulnerable and her fear of destabilizing what they have built.

A Question of Giving A Question of Giving from "Small Things Like These". A Question of Giving Financial security and concern Eileen Furlong worries about money, household improvements, and the family’s prospects.

A Question of Giving from "Small Things Like These". A Question of Giving Financial security and concern Eileen Furlong worries about money, household improvements, and the family’s prospects.

A Question of Giving Financial security and concern Eileen Furlong worries about money, household improvements, and the family’s prospects. Bill Furlong’s questions about their daughters and the future are harder for her to interpret. Different ways of coping She answers uncertainty with planning and work; he turns toward reflection and unease. Their contrasting habits help explain why the convent’s suffering becomes a divisive question.

The Unshared Consequence The Unshared Consequence from "Small Things Like These". The Unshared Consequence A decision made alone Bill Furlong takes Sarah Redmond toward home without first resolving the disagreement with Eileen Furlong.

The Unshared Consequence from "Small Things Like These". The Unshared Consequence A decision made alone Bill Furlong takes Sarah Redmond toward home without first resolving the disagreement with Eileen Furlong.

The Unshared Consequence A decision made alone Bill Furlong takes Sarah Redmond toward home without first resolving the disagreement with Eileen Furlong. The story ends before Eileen or their daughters learn what he has done. Love tested by risk His action could affect the family’s standing and security, but the ending does not settle the marital consequences. Their bond is left facing a demand that neither routine nor prudence can answer.

before their marriage

early December 1985

the night after Bill Furlong’s first convent encounter

the Sunday before Christmas

Christmas Eve night