Literary elements and reader response in Riders to the Sea

¶ … play by J.M. Synge "Riders to the Sea" tells of the hardships a family has had to endure and the sacrifices and risks that they have to continue to take in order to survive. The play is inspired by Synge's personal experiences and observations from living on the Aran Islands "for a number of years…with peasant seamen and their families" ("J.M. Synge"). The play is able to provide "a window in to the life of the people in ancient times: the life of the Aran community is archaic: untouched by modern life, untouched by colonialism. In the play, Synge comments on the power of the sea as both a provider and as a force that destroys. Through irony, structure, and narrative, "Riders to the Sea" demonstrates how a family must sacrifice everything they have in order to attempt to survive.

The play opens with Nora and Cathleen, Maurya's daughters, discussing a body that washed ashore and preparing to make an identification of the body as their brother Michael, who has been missing. As the sisters discuss the unidentified remains, their last surviving brother, Bartley, is preparing to make a journey to sell a horse. Nora contends that she asked the priest to stop Bartley from leaving, however the priest responded, "I won't stop him…but let you not be afraid. Herself does be saying prayers half through the night, and the Almighty God won't leave her destitute with no son living" (Synge). This statement is significant because it puts religion up against the forces of nature.

Although Maurya has been through so much and has lost all her sons, except for Bartley, she knows that "It's the life of a young man to be going on the sea, and who would listen to an old woman with one thing and she saying it over?" (Synge). Maurya also comments on the imbalance of nature due to the sea taking men before their time. She also recognizes that their remote location is a major influence on the sacrifices that families make to live. "In the big world the old people do be leaving things after them for their sons and children, but in this place it is the young men do be leaving things behind for them that do be old" (Synge). Unfortunately, Maurya's observation rings true as she and her daughters receive word that Bartley has been thrown from his horse and drowned in the sea.

Despite all the tragedies that Maurya has witnessed, her faith remains strong. While the priest had assured Nora that he would not stop Bartley from leaving because God would protect him, the loss of all of her sons would arouse an expected reaction of anger and blasphemy, however, Maurya appears to know that losing her sons is her lot in life. Maurya states at the end of the play, "May the Almighty God have mercy on Bartley's sou, and on Michael's soul, and on the souls of Sheamus and Patch, and Stephen and Shawn; and may He have mercy on my soul, Nora, and on the soul of everyone is left living in the world" (Synge).

The play's structure is quite interesting because it is reminiscent of the poems written by Edmund Spencer. Not only is the language in the play poetic, but it also manages to tell a story and analyze the environment of the Aran people. The play is told from different perspectives, those of Maurya and her remaining children. The play is self-contained and only explores how one family has dealt with the loss of their brothers and sons. It is especially saddening to see that the family must find a way to keep going even though they have just lost the one last member that would make their survival on the island possible.