While a butterfly is free to spread its beautiful wings, many people suffer in captivity, and can only dream about the world outside. The yearning for freedom is depicted in Bridget Keehan’s short story; ‘Sorry for the Loss’ from 2008, where we meet the chaplain Evie and the young criminal Victor.
The story begins when Evie has to tell Victor that his Nan is dead, but the situation turns out different than expected. Evie is a chaplain who has worked in the prison for over a year (p.1 l. 18), but she doesn’t really like being there. The atmosphere in the prison intimidates her and she feels uncomfortable being there because of all the noises. That’s why she treasures whenever the prisoners are out, and she has some quiet time on her own. She is very religious and she likes to use her quiet time to meditate and pray (p.2, l.32). She is a good girl who behaves properly and follows the Bible. Even though the prisoners have done bad things, she is kind to everyone, and tries to understand how the prisoners feel. She even tries to imagine Jesus as being one of the prisoners (p.2, l. 40), and this just shows that she is very good at putting herself in other people’s shoes. In the prison she also helps to run the Enhanced Thinking Skills (p. 3, l.91). She is a kind, genuine person, and she is very nervous when she has to tell Victor that his Nan is dead, because she is scared that he’ll get upset (p. 2, l. 55). Evie is fragile, but she is also a very loving and caring person, and as soon as she sees the young Victor, she imagines him being her son (p.3, l. 75). Victor is very young, so her loving heart immediately feels sorry for him.