The News from Ireland

The News from Ireland Summary | Detailed Summary

"The News from Ireland" is William Trevor's story about an English family, the Pulvertafts, who live on an Irish estate they have inherited. The story shows the disparity of the wealthy English and the poverty stricken Irish, which are starving in the midst of the Great Potato Famine.

As the story begins, the narrator relays the situation of Fogarty, the butler at the Pulvertaft estate, who serves along with his sister, Miss Fogarty, the household cook. Fogarty is thinking about the new governess, Anna Marie Heddoe, newly arrived from England. Fogarty's musings drift to thoughts of others who have also come here as strangers, namely the Celts, St. Patrick and the Vikings.

The current Pulvertaft family, themselves strangers to Ireland, arrived in 1839, eight years ago, when the last owner, Hugh Pulvertaft, died. The current Pulvertafts have assimilated into Irish life, but Fogarty wishes they had stayed in Ipswich and left the estate to fall to ruin, rather than be taken over by these English strangers.

Miss Heddoe fascinates Fogarty, as do all newcomers, and he takes the liberty of reading her diary and the letters she receives. Through this correspondence, Fogarty learns of Miss Heddoe's homesickness and incredulity at the Pulvertafts' indifference to the starving Irish people outside the stonewalls of the estate.

Miss Heddoe also writes in her diary of Fogarty's claim that a local child was born with the marks of the stigmata that the desperate people of Ireland believe to be a positive sign that God has not abandoned them.

Life in the Pulvertaft household continues as usual with the struggling piano recitals given by Adelaide Pulvertaft, an awkward, unattractive girl. Charlotte Pulvertaft, the oldest daughter, is caught up in a romance with a soldier, while Emily Pulvertaft, the most intelligent and artistic daughter, plans an upcoming trip to several countries as an extension of her education. George Arthur is the only son in the Pulvertaft household and is Miss Heddoe's charge.

Mrs. Pulvertaft is a round, stout woman, who remains wrapped up in her children's lives, not venturing past the stone wall of the estate other than to attend church. Mr. Pulvertaft considers himself the typical lord of the manor and provides employment for some of the local men through the construction of a road that circles his property.

Pulvertaft discusses the road every day with his estate manager, Mr. Erskine. There is much anticipation of the new road, although it does not lead to anything.

The Pulvertafts do not know of Miss Heddoe's dissatisfaction with her new position and think that the governess is settling in quite nicely. The Pulvertaft sisters take no notice of Miss Heddoe, as they have outgrown the need for a governess. However, George Arthur considers Miss Heddoe very serious and not nearly as pretty as his sisters.

Fogarty hopes that Miss Heddoe will serve as the voice of reason in the household, because she is in a more advantageous position to point out the futility of the new road and the significance of the child born with the stigmata. Fogarty does not mention this to his sister, who takes every little slight from Miss Heddoe as proof of the governess' wicked English ways.

One morning, Mr. Pulvertaft and Mr. Erskine pace back and forth across the front lawn in another discussion about the road. Mr. Pulvertaft is slightly afraid of Mr. Erskine, so he never lets his eyes meet those of the estate manager. Mr. Erskine takes a low opinion of Mr. Pulvertaft, because the new estate owner inherited the property with no effort on his own part and does not appreciate his good fortune.

Mr. Pulvertaft is doubly pleased with the road, because it not only provides local employment but also will be his generation's contribution to the estate. Mr. Erskine wearies of Mr. Pulvertaft's boasts and thinks about Miss Heddoe and whether she would entertain a marriage proposal. Being the wife of the estate manager is not as grand as the wife of the manor but is certainly a step up from being a governess.

Mrs. Pulvertaft retires to her room each afternoon with stomach pains that dissipate by evening, and she comes to expect the daily discomfort. Emily Pulvertaft often takes walks along the lake on the estate and thinks about the monks, who had lived there at one time. Emily's thoughts also wonder to her upcoming trip, where she will see the wonders of several European countries. As Emily walks, she can see the vast expanse of the dormant farmlands that mean nothing to her. She reminds a local woman at the gate that soup and bread are to be brought out again, tomorrow.

Miss Heddoe's diary contains an entry reporting on the death of the child born with the stigmata. This death is considered a negative omen to the local people, as significant as if Christ had been crucified again. Fogarty had told Miss Heddoe that he and his sister, and now the Pulvertafts, believe that the parents had inflicted the marks on the child with a hot coal. They may have done this, so that they might be considered a holy family, like the original one, and be saved from starvation.

Miss Heddoe writes in her diary that she is heartbroken for the dead child and the parents, who must be almost insane from grief and hunger. Miss Heddoe cannot justify the vibrant life in the Pulvertaft household with the dire situation occurring just outside the estate walls. Miss Heddoe cries herself to sleep to be in the employ of people, who show no sensitivity to the plight of the Irish people.

The workers consider the death of the child to be a bad sign and do not show up to work on the Pulvertaft road. Mr. Erskine assures Mr. Pulvertaft that the men will return in time, because they will soon need money for food.

Life in the Pulvertaft household continues as usual with Adelaide playing the piano and mooning over Charlotte's fiancy. Emily leaves on her European trip and visits Bath, Florence, Vienna and Paris.

Fogarty predicts that Miss Heddoe will leave because of the Pulvertaft family's insensitivity about the dead baby. The family does not realize that its refusal to acknowledge the horrible event could have repercussions, such as Mr. Erskine being attacked and possibly killed by the workers. If this should occur, the Pulvertafts would be forced to return to England, but they seem ignorant of any of these possibilities.

A few months pass, and Miss Heddoe continues to write in her diary about the women who come to the gate begging for food, and the men who want to work on the Pulvertaft road but are too weak from hunger to do so. Miss Heddoe cannot help but wonder what the Irish people have done to incur God's continuing wrath, but answers never come. All she can do is pray.

A few weeks later, Mr. Erskine approaches Miss Heddoe, as she walks the estate grounds and engages her in conversation about her adjustment to life in Ireland. He also provides some history of himself, including the loss of his left arm in the military. Mr. Erskine invites Miss Heddoe to stop at his home at any time. He then leaves her.

Not long after this, the Pulvertaft road is completed, and Mr. Pulvertaft receives a letter of thanks and commendation from the local Distress Board. Some of the men who had worked on the road, along with many others, are making their way to the harbor towns to board ships for America. Mr. Pulvertaft is grateful that they have a place to go. Later that summer, Charlotte is married in a champagne wedding ceremony at the Pulvertaft estate.

A year has passed since Miss Heddoe has arrived at the estate. She writes in her diary that Fogarty has encouraged her not to consider Mr. Erskine's marriage proposal. Miss Heddoe does not realize that anyone else is aware of the proposal and tells Fogarty to leave, but he persists. Fogarty had hoped that Miss Heddoe would leave earlier, when she became aware of the type of people the Pulvertafts are.

Fogarty tells Miss Heddoe that there is wickedness in the home. He says that the paltry spoons of soup, and a road that goes nowhere, are insults to the poor people. They need so much more. The horrific crime of starvation was able to occur through the gross neglect of the Pulvertafts, whose estate is filled with fruit trees, berry bushes, a fish-filled lake, and other wildlife.

Fogarty contends that it would have been better if the estate had been left to decay, instead of being taken up by this next generation of Pulvertafts. Fogarty says, "The past would have withered away, miss. Instead of which it is the future that's withering now."

Fogarty shares a dream he had in which George Albert's son is shot, ending the Pulvertaft lineage, and allowing the estate to return to decadent wildness. In the dream, the rioting local people burn the estate, and Fogarty is able to tell Miss Heddoe not to perpetuate the evil she has witnessed here.

Miss Heddoe ignores Fogarty's admonitions and marries Mr. Erskine. Miss Fogarty wonders if she and Fogarty will be invited to tea at the Erskine residence, but Fogarty reminds his sister that Mrs. Erskine has elevated her station and is not likely to entertain servants. Miss Fogarty thinks Mrs. Erskine considers she and her brother to be friends. Fogarty does not answer and realizes that Mrs. Erskine has seen through the trick he had tried to get her to leave the estate, and that it is unlikely that he will be having tea at the Erskine house.