One of the stories we read this week was Counting the Days by Emma Donoghue which narrated a fictional short story that is based on true events. This story held the perspectives of two characters, Henry and Jane, a couple longing for each other.
The story of Jane and Henry happens to be unique, as, despite its fictitious plot, it happens to sound familiar to the stories we hear on the news or social media.
The author, Emma Donoghue efficiently develops pathos throughout the plot, where the couple internally express their yearning for one another, as they count the days to finally reunite.
However, the author does not allow for this emotional scene to occur; instead, the husband of Jane and the father of their two kids dies alone from a severe illness.
This was all after he had moved to Canada, leaving his family in Ireland, and seeking job opportunities to provide for his family who followed him a year later through an 8-week sea voyage.
Despite the short length of the story, the author leaves the readers with a remarkable theme where she highlights the effect of loneliness and adaptation to a new environment. This is shown through the death of Henry before reuniting with his family as at first a result of homesickness which then turns into a severe diagnosed illness.
Does this sound familiar to a story you’ve heard previously yet? A story of immigration perhaps… Yet, despite its tragic ending, this story happens to be true among many cases of those who leave their home for healthier living opportunities and pass away before reuniting with the people they left for the sake of providing a better life for them.
file:///Users/lamaramin/Downloads/Donoghue_CountingTheDays.pdf
