The River Barrow

In Small Things Like These, the River Barrow represents moral certitude. The river runs through the small town of New Ross, Ireland; local legend says that an abbot once placed a curse on the river. As the novella progresses, Bill Furlong grapples with difficult, thorny moral questions, many of which center on abuse perpetrated by the convent in New Ross. In one of the final scenes, Furlong rescues a woman from the convent and walks with her over the river. As they cross the bridge, Furlong notes his admiration of the river, of “how easily the water followed its incorrigible way” (110). Here, the assuredness of the River Barrow, the clarity of its path, stands in distinct contrast to the muddy moral waters in which Furlong swims.

The Convent

The convent serves as a clear symbol of the deviousness and perversity of systemic abuse. The...