The Illusion of Control and the Role of Chance in Rock Paper Scissors

The Illusion of Control and the Role of Chance in Rock Paper Scissors: A Theme Analysis ### Defining the Thematic Claim In Rock Paper Scissors, Alice Feeney constructs a narrative where the titular game becomes a central metaphor for the interplay between deliberate choice and blind chance. The novel's thematic claim is that while humans desperately seek to control their destinies through planning, manipulation, and decisive action, their lives are ultimately shaped by a series of arbitrary, unpredictable events. The recurring motif of the simple hand game suggests that life's pivotal moments often hinge on decisions that are, at their core, as random as a throw of the dice. The characters—particularly Robin, Adam, and Amelia—believe they are the authors of their own stories, yet their elaborate schemes are constantly undermined by coincidences, hidden pasts, and the unintended consequences of their own choices. The novel ultimately argues that the illusion of control is a comforting fiction, and that true agency lies not in preventing chance, but in how one responds to its outcomes. ### Tracing the Theme Across the Plot #### The Origin: A Chance Encounter with Devastating Consequences The theme is established through Adam's backstory, which reveals that the most traumatic event of his life was not a deliberate act but a catastrophic accident. As a thirteen-year-old, angry and rebellious, he met a girl in a park. Their impulsive decision to steal a car and drive recklessly was a series of small, seemingly inconsequential choices that culminated in a fatal hit-and-run, killing his mother. This event, which Adam describes in Chapter 63, was not planned. It was a chain of chance: a chance meeting, a chance decision to drive faster, a chance loss of control. The girl, who we later learn is Amelia, fled, leaving Adam to be found over his mother's body. This moment of pure chance—a random encounter with a stranger—becomes the defining tragedy of his life, setting him on a path he never consciously chose. He spends decades haunted by the face he cannot remember, unaware that the woman he will eventually marry is the very person who destroyed his world. This origin story establishes that the most profound forces shaping Adam's destiny are not his own plans, but the random, chaotic events that occur outside his control. #### The Illusion of Choice: Robin's Orchestrated Revenge Robin's narrative arc provides a more complex exploration of the theme. After discovering Adam's affair and the truth about his past, she devises an elaborate plan for revenge. She lures Adam and Amelia to Blackwater Chapel, a remote and isolated location, intending to force a confrontation. Her plan appears to be the ultimate assertion of control: she has manipulated the setting, the circumstances, and the information available to her husband. However, her control is an illusion. Her scheme is built upon a foundation of chance. She only discovered Adam's screenplay and the truth about Amelia through a series of fortuitous events, such as finding the old manuscript in her father's desk. More importantly, her plan hinges on Adam's unpredictable reactions. In her final letter (Chapter 59), she presents him with a choice, framed as a game of rock paper scissors: ROCK (leave with Amelia), PAPER (come to her), or SCISSORS (an unknown, ominous third option). This is a deliberate attempt to give Adam the illusion of agency, but the choice is rigged. Robin has already decided the outcome she wants, and she has manipulated the information to ensure Adam makes the