Auld Lang Syne

Auld Lang Syne is sung at a New Year gathering, where a communal performance—linked hands and repeated lines—gives way to a sequence of embraces and a more tentative moment between Rachel Elliot and Will Raphael.

Performance and Setting

As the group stands and links hands, they sing the first two lines of Auld Lang Syne over and over because those are the only lines anyone can remember. The imperfect repetition makes the song a shared act rather than a polished performance: everyone can join in, even with only a fragment of it.

After the Song

The singing ends and the group embraces. Anita Cavanagh kisses one guest and clings to Rachel; when Will approaches, Rachel anticipates an embrace but instead receives his handshake. He holds her fingers gently but firmly while asking whether she will sit for a photograph. Rachel agrees. The song thus sits at the threshold between the group's exuberant New Year ritual and this restrained, personal exchange, without itself resolving what will develop between Rachel and Will.