Duty to Family

Shay Mackey's duty to family drives the plot in this story. Shay wants to escape the duty he feels to his family and is nearing that goal when Frank and Rosie make plans to run away together. Shay has saved enough money to get a place of his own and believes he can leave because Frank will be there to take care of the younger two children in the family. When Shay realizes that Frank is leaving, Shay's own feeling of duty to the family is such that he doesn't feel he can leave. Shay kills Rosie and hides the body, believing that Rosie's absence will be enough to make Frank stay to do his duty to the family. By the time the younger two children are gone, Shay feels completely trapped by the needs of his parents. His desire to buy a bicycle shop is...