Spoon River Analysis

One Life, One Chance
(A discussion on the theme “life is not always easy” in Spoon River Anthology)
Every person has individual beliefs that influence how they view and live their lives. An individual's beliefs also affect how they react to events negatively altering their lives. Some who believe that there is no life after death feel following such misfortunes that they have wasted or lost their chance at making their life successful or even worthwhile anymore. Nellie Clark, Nancy Knapp, and Pauline Barrett, all of whom are believers is one life, demonstrate precisely the theme that “life is not always easy.” This theme is displayed through the variety of tragic events they each experienced and how they reacted to such times as a result …show more content…
Furthermore, Nancy and her husband received the inheritance, which they then used to purchase a farm. This loss in the family caused her in laws to accuse her husband of poisoning their father's mind against them, an excuse used to explain why their father's possessions were inherited so unfairly. Nancy and her husband never found peace with their purchase. One unfortunate event after another continued to drag the couple down. Their cattle died of disease, the crops failed, the granary was struck by lightning, and the neighbors stopped talking to them. The effects of this misfortune were inevitable and dreaded. She explains “So we mortgaged the farm to keep going, and he grew silent and was worried all the time.” With her miserable husband, she trudged through their tribulation, and she grew to hate everything around her for it’s constant reminder. Crushed under the stress and disgust of it all, Nancy set fire to their house. Her reaction to this series of events is highly connected to her personal belief that there is no life after death, that she has one chance at this life. This belief hindered her in believing that she could not make her life better. She felt to much had gone wrong in her life, she can’t fix it. So she didn't care anymore, she gave up, she let it crush …show more content…
Nellie details, “I was only eight years old; and before I grew up and knew what it meant I had no words for it, except that I was frightened and told my mother.” Nellie Clark was not only raped but then wore her story on her sleeve in the eyes of those around her. “Nevertheless the story clung to me,” she continued, “but the man who married me, a widower of thirty-five, was a newcomer and never heard of it.” However, her husband found out eventually. Learning of her story after a full two years made him feel cheated and deceived. So he deserted her and Nellie Clark died that following winter. Her life clearly exemplifies the theme “life is not always easy” and her personal belief only hindered her further. She saw herself as a label. Like what happened when she was eight determined her whole life. The final nudge off the edge for Nellie Clark was her husband's departure. After that she gave up, just like Nancy. After she felt the label defined her and the rest of her one chance at this life, she let it lead to her

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