Rosalie

Rosalie is the main character of the short story “Wednesday’s Child.” In the narrative present, Rosalie is traveling abroad by herself. She lives with her husband Dan in North Carolina. Ever since Rosalie and Dan’s 15-year-old daughter Marcie died by suicide, the two have been living with “a shared pain” that is in fact “a permanent presence of a permanent absence in both their lives” (11). While staying at home and building a sunroom off the house is therapeutic for Dan, Rosalie is desperate to escape her familiar environs in order to deal with her sorrow and grief. Marcie has been gone for four years, but Rosalie has yet to fully heal from this loss. Her grief is particularly acute because Rosalie’s mother has made her feel as if Marcie’s death is her fault.

Therefore, Rosalie carries a notebook with her throughout her travels and...