in "children of the sea", when the main character celianne throws herself into the sea, the despair that she felt is felt by the narrator of that same story when he embraces death. the despair is also felt by the mother in "caroline's wedding" when she attends a mass for refugees, who like celianne in "children of the sea" died at sea. however, when these different characters are witnessing the terrible things occurring to people they love as well as the country they love, they react differently. the character guy in "a wall of fire rising," tries to defy hopelessness by stealing a brief moment of glory despite the fact that he knows it will end in death. the mother in "new york day women" begins a new life in the u.s., but she still can’t face the suffering she left behind. although the people all experience the same types of hardships, they still remain individuals.