Analysis of Her Share of Sorrow

Her share of sorrow

Tessa Hadley’s short story, “Her share of sorrow”, tells us the story of Ruby, an outsider and “changeling” within her own family, who reinvents herself using literature as she seeks an escape from the bleak reality of her life.
The whole story starts off by establishing the distinction and contrast between Ruby and the rest of her family, especially her mother. In the opening lines, we are introduced to Ruby’s mother, Dalia, through a description of her exquisite features where after Ruby is introduced in much the same way. Although, the features highlighted to describe Ruby are very much unlike those used to describe her mother. The contrast between Ruby and her mother is summarized well in the introduction of Ruby in the short story: “Ruby’s name might have suited her if she’d been smouldering and mysterious like her mother in the dance photographs. But (…)”. In one line, you understand how Ruby differs from the rest of her family as even the name given to her doesn’t suit her because she isn’t like her mother.
Furthermore, the short story goes on to emphasize Ruby’s role as a “changeling” in the family by introducing her older brother, Nico, and father, Adrian, as “distinguished, beautiful, tall and thin like her mother”.
All this information is found in the very first section of the short story and thus we understand how the role and division between Ruby and the rest of her family will become central in the short story.

Because of Ruby’s role as a “changeling” her relationship with her family can be very strained. This is also seen in the short story as Dalia, even though she is a psychotherapist, has trouble understanding her own daughter. Dalia attempts to enforce different rules upon her daughter as she believes they’re needed for optimal parenting: “they’d (Adrian and Dalia) read all the right guides to parenting”. In the end these rules only end up frustrating Ruby and Dalia more, thus straining their relationship further. One rule in particular, which restricts Ruby’s computer time to one-hour-a-day, agitates Ruby as she doesn’t feel there is anything else to do in the house.

This problem becomes central as Ruby at the age of 10 goes on a vacation with her family in the south of France. Here there is no Wi-Fi and thus Ruby won’t be able to use her computer. As she one day is left by herself, with Nico and Adrian out of the house all day and Dalia desperately needing to unwind, she finds a variety of 19th century books in the attic and starts reading. Prior to this, she’d never found any joy in reading as the books she had previously encountered didn’t make her feel anything. This changes immediately as she delves into the books in the attic and disappears into another world: “She hadn’t had any idea that books could transport you like this – into something better”. Following this first encounter with the books in the attic, Ruby completely isolates herself for the rest of the vacation and uses the books as an escape from reality. The books end up dominating her everyday on the vacation so much that when she finished one evening, it seemed as if the world she returned to, when closing the book, was the imaginary one: “She staggered up dazedly from the world of her story, as if the one she returned to were the insubstantial fiction”.
As Ruby becomes increasingly attached to her books we understand how literature likewise becomes increasingly important to Ruby. It is her everyday on her vacation and is attractive to her as it offers an alternate reality wherein she doesn’t have to face the constant doubts and problems of the real world. These constant doubts and problems are represented by her family, as Ruby has trouble finding her identity, because she feels her family neither understands nor approves of her. This causes Ruby to feel a constant need to prove herself to her family – and as she seemingly can’t do this, literature becomes so immensely important to Ruby because it frees her from her obsession and constant quest for approval.