The Impact of Mistakes

The novel We Begin at the End presents the argument that a person’s life and the lives of other people can be changed dramatically as the result of a single mistake. Vincent, for instance, spent the majority of his life in jail, and the Radley family was devastated after Vincent unintentionally hit Sissy with his car. Duchess and her brother Robin were put in danger after Duchess made the decision to burn down Darke’s nightclub. Hal lost touch with his oldest daughter and her children after he bribed a man to ensure Vincent would not be released from jail on parole after serving only five years.

Vincent’s accident that resulted in Sissy’s death is the one mistake that had the most far-reaching impact of all those noted in the novel. The hit-and-run accident leaves Sissy dead and Vincent in...