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Sorry for the Loss Essay

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English Essay
Bridget Keehan: Sorry for the Loss (2008)
Throughout human history, we have looked for answers. And we still do. Answers can be found in religion, science, philosophy, but some questions have no conclusive answers. One of these questions is ‘what is good, and what is evil’? While we have laws and rules, both as religions and society, the distinction between good and evil is never precise. Does an evil offense make the offender evil or is it only the offense itself that is evil, and not the offender? These questions are what this story revolves around.

Sorry for the Loss is a short story from 2008, written by welsh writer Bridget Keenan. The story is told in the third person from the point of view of the story’s main character, the prison chaplain Evie. This makes the story very personal, as the reader gets access to Evie’s thoughts on prison life and on some of the major themes of the story. One thing to note is that almost all of Evie’s thoughts are related to the prison, which creates a sense of confinement, something that ties in well with the setting of the story. The story begins in medias res, which means that the reader has no background information about Evie or the prison, and is immediately presented to the main plot of the story. Furthermore, the story contains an open ending, which does not give the reader full closure on the main plot nor the major themes. This composition creates a sense that the actual plot is less important than the themes it explores, and that the story is not a character study, but rather a study of the themes through characters. The story’s main character, Evie, has worked as a prison chaplain for about a year. She is still not entirely comfortable in her job, and prison inmates still scare her quite a bit. She is very religious, and finds peace in prayer, which she describes as almost being a drug for her.

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