Characters

The main characters of the story “Field of Tears” by Declan J Connaughton are Rita and her grandfather, whose last name we later find out is De Burca. Rita is a woman in her thirties, who regularly visits her grandfather in a nursing home. While not much is said about Rita and her background, the story reveals that her grandfather, De Burca, fought during the Irish Civil War. At eighteen, De Burca killed a captive, an event which haunts him for decades.

Another character worth mentioning is O’Leary, one of De Burca’s comrades from the war. While De Burca feels uneasy at the thought of killing a man, O’Leary is undisturbed and aware that such events occur every time during the war.

Rita

Rita is one of the main characters of the short story “Field of Tears” by Declan J Connaughton. Her outer characterization reveals that she is a woman in her thirties: “He’d been an integral part of her life for over thirty years”. Except for this, the story does not reveal anything about her physical appearance.

Rita has a strong connection with her grandfather, whom she visits regularly: “He’d been an integral part of her life for over thirty years and it was impossible not to imagine him being there, always with a smile and advice, if needed”. Rita suffers because her grandfather has to live in a nursing home but admits to herself that, given his deteriorating health, this is the best option: “God! She wished her grandfather didn’t have to stay in this pl...