Independence and Agency in Long Island

Thematic Claim

In Long Island, Colm Tóibín traces Eilis Lacey's gradual assertion of independence and agency after her husband's betrayal. The novel argues that genuine autonomy requires not only rejecting external impositions but also actively shaping one's own life—through work, space, and relationships. Eilis's three pivotal decisions—refusing to raise Tony's child, taking a job outside the Fiorello family business, and returning to Ireland to reclaim her own narrative—illustrate how she transforms from a woman hemmed in by family expectation into someone who demands control over her future.

Refusing the Baby: The First Act of Defiance

When an Irishman arrives at Eilis's door and announces that his wife is pregnant with Tony's child, her immediate shock gives way to a determined refusal to accept the baby into her home. The narrative shows her steeling herself: "If she softened in any way, she knew, it could result in her getting up in the night to feed someone else's baby. She was determined that she would not do this." This internal resolve marks her first clear act of agency—she will not be coerced into a role she has not chosen.

Eilis's threat to divorce Tony if the baby enters her mother-in-law Francesca's house underscores her willingness to dismantle her life rather than submit. As she drives to the airport, she rehearses telling Tony: "If you take the baby in, I will leave you and I will take the children." That she does not speak the threat aloud exposes a tension: her agency is still partly inward, shaped by fear of losing her family. Yet the threat itself, even unspoken, changes the power dynamic. Tony recognizes her boundary without needing to hear it.

Taking the Job: Economic Independence

Eilis's decision to accept a job at Mr Dakessian's garage represents her most concrete move toward independence. After buying a used car—itself a small assertion of mobility—she negotiates hours and salary on her own, without consulting Tony. The chapter describes her accepting "immediately" and "without consulting Tony," signaling a break from the assumption that her work should remain within the Fiorello family.

Mr Dakessian offers not only employment but a model of resilience: he is an Armenian survivor of genocide who has rebuilt his life. When he gives Eilis a book on Armenian history, he shares a story of preserving identity against erasure—a parallel to her own struggle to maintain selfhood. Her new accounting role gives her financial independence and a separate sphere of competence. Later, when she returns to Ireland, she uses money from Frank (her brother-in-law) to rent a car and buy a bed, showing that even within dependency she carves out choices.

Returning to Ireland: Reclaiming Space

Eilis's journey to Ireland is framed as an escape from both Tony's betrayal and the claustrophobia of the cul-de-sac. In County Wexford, she buys a new bed and mattress for her brother Martin's cottage in Cush, then sleeps there alone for the first time in her life. The narrative notes that "in all her years with Tony, it was something she had often dreamed about—slipping away, getting a train or even driving to some town and finding an anonymous hotel." This solitary night becomes a ritual of self-possession.

Yet her return also forces her to confront her mother's controlling nature. Mrs Lacey insists on accompanying Eilis on errands, gossips about townspeople, and resists any talk of America. Eilis's decision to stay in Cush despite her mother's disapproval—and even to lie about going there—demonstrates a quiet but firm assertion of will. She later tells Jim Farrell that she will leave Tony, buy her own house, and start over. Her plan to settle her children, return to work, and eventually divorce Tony shows agency as a long-term project, not a single rebellious act.

Character and Symbol Connections

Eilis's agency is enabled and challenged by several key figures. Frank (though technically Tony's brother) supports her financially and emotionally; his offer to pay for Rosella's college gives Eilis leverage and a vision of her daughter's independence. Tony represents the opposing force—his affair and his passive expectation that Eilis will absorb the consequences of his actions. Jim Farrell offers a potential future, but Eilis insists on controlling the timeline, refusing to let him rush her decision.

Key symbols amplify the theme. The unfenced lawn of the Cush cottage contrasts with the enclosed cul-de-sac; it suggests openness and possibility. The strand where Eilis walks and swims becomes a liminal space for reflection, separate from domestic obligations. Photographs she sends to Ireland capture chosen moments, allowing her to curate her own story. The baby is the ultimate symbol of imposed responsibility—by refusing it, she reclaims the right to define her own motherhood.

Complexity and Contradiction

Eilis's agency is never absolute. She still depends on Frank's money and her brother Martin's cottage. She cannot entirely escape social judgment: her mother cares "what people think," and the town watches her movements. Her decision to leave Tony causes pain—to him, to Jim Farrell (who waits in vain for a clear invitation), and potentially to her children. Tóibín does not present her as a simple heroine; rather, her autonomy comes with costs and compromises.

The most profound contradiction lies in her simultaneous longing for independence and connection. She dreams of sleeping alone, yet she returns to America to care for her children. She refuses the baby, yet she mothers Rosella and Larry intensely. Her agency is exercised within constraints—financial, familial, emotional—which makes it more realistic and more hard-won. By the novel's end, Eilis is neither fully free nor fully trapped; she has learned to navigate the space between.

Study Questions and Answers

1. How does Eilis's refusal to accept the baby function as a first assertion of agency?
   Her refusal is an internal boundary she will not cross. By threatening divorce if the baby enters Francesca's house, she implicitly draws a line that Tony must respect. This decision, though unspoken, redefines her role in the marriage and establishes that she will not be a passive recipient of events.

2. What does the job at Mr Dakessian's garage represent for Eilis's independence?
   The job gives her economic autonomy outside the Fiorello family. She negotiates terms alone, symbolizing a separate professional identity. Mr Dakessian's own story of survival reinforces the idea that rebuilding one's life is possible through work and self-determination.

3. Why does Eilis's solitary night in Cush matter to her sense of agency?
   Sleeping alone for the first time is a deliberate act of claiming space and time for herself. It breaks the pattern of always sharing a bed or being within reach of family. This ritual foreshadows her larger decision to leave Tony and live on her own terms.

4. In what ways do her mother and Tony constrain Eilis's agency, and how does she push back against them?
   Her mother restricts her by demanding conformity to local gossip and refusing to hear about America. Tony constrains her by expecting her to absorb his affair's consequences. She pushes back by staying in Cush without permission and by asserting to Tony that she will leave if the baby is brought into their home.

5. How does the novel complicate the idea of independence as an unqualified good?
   Eilis's independence comes at the cost of hurting those she loves. She cannot fully escape financial reliance on Frank or social scrutiny. Her desire for freedom coexists with her responsibilities as a mother. The novel suggests that agency is not about total freedom but about making conscious choices within unavoidable constraints.