Analyse af Bridget Keehans novelle 'Sorry for the Loss'

It is common human behaviour to create stereotypes and put people in boxes. Since the beginning of time, we have used stereotypes and prejudices as a defence mechanism since we are attracted to our own kind by nature and inclined to perceive the “others” as bad or frightening. But you cannot always trust these prejudices. People are not defined by the way they look or their former actions. In her short story, Sorry for the Loss from 2008, Bridget Keehan focuses on the stereotypes that some people create when it comes to criminals.

The main character in the story is Evie. She is a catholic chaplain who works in a prison. The reader does not get any information about her outer appearance but we can assume that she is in her 30s, since she can almost imagine Victor Zamora as being her son: She can almost imagine him as her son, although he probably isn’t quite young enough for the maths to work. The fact that she sees him as a son also shows that she sympathizes with Victor and cares about him before she even gets to know him. Evie has worked as a chaplain in over a year but she still feels uncomfortable in the prison: Although she has been in post for over a year she still finds the environment of prison abrasive and intimidating. To escape this unpleasant feeling, Evie finds comfort in her religion which plays a big role in her life: As she prays she feels comforted as though a fleece, gentle and soft, were enveloping her. She wonders if this is similar to the feeling junkies enjoy on heroin. She has heard some of the men describe it as like being wrapped in cotton wool, ‘all warm and lovely’. This shows the contrast between Evie’s innocence and the sinful prisoners. She tries to understand their harsh world by comparing it to her everyday life. Because she cannot relate to the prisoner’s life and background, there are a lot of things she does not understand. For instance, when Evie observes the prisoners waving goodbye to their guests: They are (…) blowing kisses and mouthing what she deciphers as, ‘I love you’ to their families and friends. This thought is very innocent compared to the prison guard who hints that the prisoners are not saying I love you, but thank you for smuggled heroin.