Essay Questions

What age is Ian when he tells Danny that Lucy is cheating on him, and what is the importance of this to the story?

When Ian makes the mistake of telling Danny that Lucy is cheating on him, even though she isn't, he is seventeen years old. Before reaching adulthood, people are more likely to make rash and uneducated decisions, like Ian did when he was a teenager. Many teenagers make mistakes while they are younger, and this comes to haunt them for the rest of their life, like it did for Ian. Getting addicted to drugs or alcohol can make one addicted for life, like Ian's decision which forced him to be morally obligated to Danny's children for life, so the quick yes or no choice of an internal question really can make a difference.

Why do both Danny and Lucy kill themselves?

Initially, Danny kills himself because he believes that the love of his life, Lucy, is cheating on him with someone else. Unable to handle this, he thinks the best thing to do is end his life. In any case, this is not the best thing to do, but in this case it turns out as worse as possible. The death of Danny deeply hurts Lucy, who wasn't cheating on anyone after all, and she too is unable to handle the pain of her loved one not being there with her. She overdoses on sleeping pills to die in a peaceful way.

Why does Ian feel a moral obligation to take care of Danny's and Lucy's children after they die?

Initially, Ian feels an obligation to take care of the children because of the guilt he feels for what he has done. As the story goes on, Ian starts going to church, and feels that it is his life obligation to help these children. When the children grow up, he doesn't have to help them anymore, but he eventually finds that he is more peaceful with the church and these moral obligations than without them.