Reading Response J.M. Synge

J.M. Synge’s poem “Riders to the Sea” dramatizes the archetypal struggle of man against the hostile natural forces and rends man’s inevitable defeat in the conflict against predestination which brings out a tragic effect at the end of the play. This one-act play is a tragedy that portrays a compressed and synthesized picture of hopeless struggle of an Aran woman and her helplessness against the fate. Boyd (1919), states that ‘Riders to the Sea’ sums up the essence of the "constant struggle of the Aran islanders against their relentless enemy, the sea” (pg. 92).

Some of nature's most precious essences of life have can also provide a dark side. For example, the rain can come down very peaceful and smooth. But we also know that the rain can become violent and dangerous in the blink of an eye.

The sea is both a source of life and death. As we can see in the poem, the sea offers food, a way to the mainland and other life giving essentials. It is also the reason that Mauyra has lost all the men in her family. In the beginning of the play we realize that Mauyra’s daughters Colleen and Nora are trying to hide some clothing that the young priest has given them, thinking they belonged to one of their brothers, Michael; we learn this through the conversation between the two daughters as the mother, Mauyra is asleep. The dominant theme of Synge's, “Riders to the Sea,” is fate. Fate in the play is determined by the sea. The Irish peasants are helpless against the natural force that every male must contend with in order to provide for himself and his family--the sea. The sea is more powerful than God and the priest, and it alone determines the peasants' fates. There are only two riders to the sea in the play, one already doomed and the other soon-to-be doomed.

The setting of the story tells of the hard work these people do to survive, it is obvious that they live off the land and sea. The scene is set in a cottage kitchen with one girl sitting a spin wheel,...