Riders to the Sea: WBCHSE Class 12 English answers, notes

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Get summaries, questions, answers, solutions, notes, extras, PDF and guides for play/drama Riders to the Sea: WBCHSE Class 12 English Literature textbook A Realm of English (B) Selection, which is part of the Semester IV syllabus for students studying under WBBSE (West Bengal Board-Uccha Madhyamik). These solutions, however, should only be treated as references and can be modified/changed.

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Summary

This story is a play set on the Aran Islands, off the coast of Ireland. It is about a family’s struggle against the powerful sea. The author, J.M. Synge, was inspired by a true story he heard while visiting the islands. A man’s body had washed up on a distant shore, and he was identified by his clothes, just like in the play. The story shows how the islanders live with the constant danger of the sea. Their beliefs are a mix of their Christian faith and older superstitions about the power of nature.

The play introduces a family living in a small cottage. The mother, Maurya, is an old widow filled with grief. She has already lost her husband and five sons to the sea. Her daughters, Cathleen and Nora, receive a bundle of clothes from a priest. The clothes were taken from a drowned man found far to the north. They worry the clothes belong to their brother, Michael, who has been lost at sea for nine days. They decide to hide the bundle from Maurya to protect her from more sorrow. At the same time, Maurya’s last son, Bartley, prepares to sail to the mainland to sell horses.

Maurya pleads with Bartley not to go. She has a terrible feeling that the sea is too rough and that he will not return. Bartley insists he must go and leaves the house without his mother’s blessing. His sisters feel this is a bad sign and convince Maurya to follow him to the shore. They want her to give him a piece of bread for his journey and say a kind word to him. Maurya goes, but she returns to the cottage in great distress. She tells her daughters she saw a terrible vision. She saw Bartley riding his red horse, and riding a gray pony behind him was the ghost of her dead son, Michael. This vision of the dead riding with the living is a sign that death is near.

While their mother was gone, Cathleen and Nora confirmed the clothes belonged to Michael. After Maurya describes her vision, villagers begin to arrive at the cottage. They carry the body of Bartley, which they lay on the table. The gray pony had knocked him into the sea, and he drowned. Maurya has now lost all the men in her family. She looks at her last son’s body and feels a strange calm. She says the sea can do nothing more to her. She finds peace in knowing her sons will have proper burials. She accepts that no one can live forever and that her long time of worrying is finally over.

Questions and Answers

1. Who is Maurya? What has she endured in her life?

Answer: Maurya is the central character of the play, presented as a grief-stricken old widow and mother living on the Aran Islands. She is the mother of eight children and has spent her life in a state of continuous suffering and loss.

Her life has been a hopeless struggle against the impersonal and relentless cruelty of the sea. She has endured an unimaginable amount of tragedy, having lost her husband, her husband’s father, and all six of her sons to the sea. She recounts how some of their bodies were found and buried, while others were lost forever. This constant bereavement has left her weary, fatalistic, and, as she says, an old woman looking for the grave. Her existence is a powerful representation of the harsh life of the islanders and their unending battle with nature.

2. How do Cathleen and Nora initially handle the news of Michael’s possible death?

Answer: Cathleen and Nora handle the news of Michael’s possible death with a careful blend of sorrow and practicality, driven by a deep concern for their mother, Maurya. When Nora arrives with a bundle from the priest, containing a shirt and stocking from a man who drowned in Donegal, they understand it could be their brother, Michael.

Their immediate priority is to protect their mother from another devastating shock. The priest had warned them that the news might cause her death from crying and lamenting. Therefore, they decide to hide the bundle in the turf-loft so that Maurya will not see it. They plan to wait until she is out of the cottage to examine the clothes and confirm whether they belonged to Michael. This cautious approach shows their love for their mother and their attempt to manage the grim situation with as little immediate pain to her as possible.

3. Why does Bartley insist on leaving despite Maurya’s warnings? What reasons does he provide?

Answer: Bartley insists on leaving for the sea despite Maurya’s warnings due to his strong sense of duty and the pressing economic needs of his family. As the last surviving son, he is now the only man in the house responsible for providing for his mother and sisters.

He provides several practical reasons for his journey. He explains that he must go to the horse fair in Connemara because he has heard it will be a good fair, implying a chance to earn much-needed money. He also points out the urgency of the trip, stating that the boat he needs to take is the only one sailing for two weeks or even longer. He clearly understands his role, remarking that from this day on, the family will be “hard set” with only one man to work. His decision is not one of defiance but of necessity, as he must fulfill his role as the family’s provider.

4. Why is Maurya convinced Bartley will not return? How do her daughters react to her premonitions?

Answer: Maurya is convinced Bartley will not return because her life has been a long series of losses to the sea, and she has become completely fatalistic. Having already lost her husband and five other sons, she sees the sea as an unbeatable force that will inevitably take her last son as well. She observes omens in nature, such as the wind rising and a star against the moon, which confirm her fears. As Bartley leaves, she cries out that he is gone and that by nightfall, she will have no son left in the world.

Her daughters, Cathleen and Nora, react to her premonitions with frustration and impatience. Cathleen scolds her for sending Bartley off with an “unlucky word” and a “hard word in his ear” instead of a blessing. They view her constant talk of death and sorrow as the senseless ramblings of a grief-stricken old woman. They do not share her belief in omens and feel that her negativity only adds to the sorrow already present in their home.

5. Maurya sees something at the spring well. What does she see? How does this vision affect her?

Answer: When Maurya goes to the spring well to give Bartley a blessing, she sees a terrifying supernatural vision. She tells her daughters that she has seen “the fearfulest thing any person has seen.” She describes seeing Bartley riding by on the red mare, and immediately behind him, on the gray pony, was the ghost of her son Michael. She notes that Michael, who had been drowned for nine days, was wearing fine clothes and new shoes.

This vision has a devastating effect on her. It shatters any remaining hope she might have had and confirms her deepest fears. She returns to the cottage completely broken, stating that her heart is broken from this day. The vision solidifies her belief that Bartley is doomed and will be the next to be taken by the sea. It moves her from a state of anxious fear to one of certain resignation, as she now knows that the loss of her last son is inevitable.

6. What role does “second sight” or supernatural visions play in the narrative?

Answer: “Second sight,” or the ability to see supernatural visions, plays a very important role in the narrative, serving as a key element that foreshadows the play’s tragic conclusion. The story is set in a community where the characters are deeply religious Catholics but also hold on to older Celtic folk tales and superstitions. The play explores this blend of beliefs, where the characters are wary of the supernatural characteristics of natural elements.

The most significant instance of second sight is Maurya’s vision of her dead son Michael’s ghost riding a pony behind her living son, Bartley. This vision is not treated as a mere hallucination of a grieving mother but as a genuine and terrible omen. It confirms for Maurya, and for the audience, that Bartley is fated to die. The title of the play itself, “Riders to the Sea,” comes from this vision, which symbolizes death claiming the last of her sons.

7. Why do the daughters initially hide the bundle of clothes from Maurya? How do they later confirm the clothes belong to Michael?

Answer: The daughters, Cathleen and Nora, initially hide the bundle of clothes from Maurya out of a deep sense of compassion and a desire to protect her from further grief. The young priest had given them the bundle, warning them that the shock of confirming Michael’s death might be too much for their mother to bear. To spare her this pain, Cathleen decides they should put the bundle up in the turf-loft, out of sight, until they can examine it privately.

They later confirm the clothes belong to Michael through two key details. First, they compare a piece of the shirt’s flannel to a bit of material from one of Michael’s old shirts and find that it is the same stuff. The definitive proof, however, comes from the stocking. Nora, who knitted it, remembers the specific details of her work. She recalls that it was the second stocking of the third pair she made, and that she had “put up three score stitches, and… dropped four of them.” When Cathleen counts the stitches and finds the number to be correct, they know for certain that the clothes are Michael’s.

8. What happens to Bartley? How does Maurya respond when his body is brought home?

Answer: Bartley’s journey ends in tragedy, fulfilling his mother’s worst fears. Despite his determination, he is unable to escape the fate that has claimed the other men in his family. The villagers who bring his body back report that the gray pony knocked him off the cliff into the sea. He was then washed out by a “great surf on the white rocks” and drowned. The men of the village carry his corpse into the cottage on a plank, covered by a piece of a sail.

When Bartley’s body is brought home, Maurya’s response is one of profound and calm resignation, not the loud wailing her daughters might have expected. Her grief has been exhausted. She looks upon her last dead son and states quietly, “They’re all gone now, and there isn’t anything more the sea can do to me.” She has reached a state beyond sorrow and fear. She calmly performs the final rituals, sprinkling Holy Water on his body, and speaks of the “great rest” she will now have, finding a strange and final peace in her complete loss.

9. What final peace does Maurya find after losing Bartley? How does she articulate this sense of closure?

Answer: The final peace that Maurya finds after losing Bartley is a peace born from absolute loss. With all her sons now dead, the constant, lifelong anxiety she has felt is finally over. She has nothing left to fear from the sea. This peace is a form of bleak resignation, a quiet state that comes after the storm of grief has passed.

She articulates this sense of closure in her final speeches. She says she will have a “great rest” now and will no longer need to be up at night “crying and praying” when the wind rises. She finds comfort in the small certainties of death, stating that Michael has a clean burial and Bartley will have a fine coffin. Her final words, “No man at all can be living for ever, and we must be satisfied,” express her ultimate acceptance of mortality. She has reconciled herself to her fate, and in that reconciliation, she finds a tragic but profound sense of peace.

10. Maurya speaks bitterly about the rope Bartley takes. Why does she object to him taking the rope? How is her objection symbolic?

Answer: Maurya objects to Bartley taking the new rope because, in her mind, it is already destined for a different, more somber purpose. She tells him he should leave the rope hanging by the white boards she has bought for a coffin. She is certain that the body of her son Michael will soon be washed ashore, and she insists that the rope will be needed to lower his coffin into a “deep grave.” Her objection comes from her preoccupation with death and her belief that the tools of their life are now only for burying the dead.

Her objection is highly symbolic. The rope represents the central conflict between life and death. For Bartley, the rope is a tool for his journey, for leading a horse to the fair—it is an instrument of life and work. For Maurya, however, the rope is an instrument of burial. This shows how, in her world, the line between life and death has blurred. The tools meant for living have become inseparable from the rituals of death, symbolizing how their entire existence is overshadowed by the constant threat of the sea.

11. What details does Maurya recall about the deaths of her other sons? How do these memories shape her perspective on life and death?

Answer: Maurya recalls the deaths of her other sons and male relatives with haunting clarity. She remembers that Stephen and Shawn were lost in a “great wind,” and their bodies were later found and carried into the house on a single plank. She also recalls that Sheamus, his father, and her own husband’s father were all lost together on a dark night, and no trace of them was ever found. She remembers another son, Patch, who drowned when his boat, a curagh, overturned. She vividly recalls seeing the women of the village coming to her house in silence to deliver the news.

These relentless and painful memories have completely shaped her perspective on life and death. They have taught her that the sea is an all-powerful and merciless force that will inevitably take every man she loves. Her life has been a continuous procession of funerals. This has made her deeply fatalistic, unable to hope for a different outcome for Bartley. Her past experiences have convinced her that life is a hopeless struggle and that death is a constant and victorious presence.

12. How does Maurya describe the vision of Michael’s ghost? How do her daughters respond to her account?

Answer: Maurya describes her vision of Michael’s ghost with chilling certainty. She tells her daughters that she saw Michael himself, “riding and galloping” on the gray pony right behind Bartley’s red mare. She adds the specific detail that the ghost was wearing “fine clothes on him, and new shoes on his feet.” She calls this vision the “fearfulest thing” she has ever seen, a direct and terrifying omen of Bartley’s impending death.

Her daughters, Cathleen and Nora, respond to her account with gentle disbelief and try to offer a rational explanation. Cathleen tells her, “You did not, mother; it wasn’t Michael you seen.” She reminds Maurya that Michael’s body has already been found in the far north and that he has received a “clean burial by the grace of God.” They believe that their mother’s vision is a product of her overwhelming grief and exhaustion, not a true supernatural event. Their response highlights the difference between their youthful, practical perspective and their mother’s deep-seated belief in the supernatural signs that govern their tragic world.

13. Maurya concludes the play by saying that she can now rest. What reasons does she give for feeling this way?

Answer: Maurya concludes the play by saying she can now rest because the source of her lifelong anxiety and torment has been completely removed. With the death of Bartley, her last son, the sea has taken every man from her family, and she has nothing left to lose or fear.

She gives several specific reasons for this newfound sense of rest. She explains that she will no longer have to be “up crying and praying when the wind breaks from the south,” a ritual of fear she has performed for years. She will not have to go out in the dark nights to get Holy Water, and she will not even care about the state of the sea when other women are keening for their lost loved ones. The constant, draining cycle of hope followed by devastating loss is finally over. She calls this freedom from worry a “great rest,” signifying that her long, painful watch has ended.

14. How does the play depict the struggle between humanity and nature? Give specific examples from the text.

Answer: The play depicts the struggle between humanity and nature as a “hopeless struggle” where humanity is pitted against an “impersonal, but relentless” natural force, embodied by the sea. Nature is shown to be all-powerful and indifferent to human suffering, while the islanders are shown to be completely at its mercy.

Specific examples of this struggle are woven throughout the play. The characters’ lives are dictated by the sea’s condition; Nora reports a “great roaring in the west” and knows it will get worse when the tide turns. Maurya’s entire life story, having lost all her male relatives to the sea, is the ultimate example of this one-sided battle. Bartley’s decision to sail in bad weather is not a choice but a necessity, forcing him to confront the dangerous sea to provide for his family. Maurya’s comment that the young priest knows little of the sea suggests that even faith is no match for its raw power. Finally, Bartley’s death, caused by his pony knocking him into the surf, shows nature’s unpredictable and deadly force.

15. Give a character sketch of Maurya.

Answer: Maurya is the aged matriarch of the family, a character who embodies profound grief and the hopeless struggle of her people against the sea. Having lost her husband and five sons before the play even begins, she is defined by her sorrow. She is deeply fatalistic, convinced that the sea will also claim her last son, Bartley. This is shown through her constant worrying, her pleas for him to stay, and her terrifying vision of her dead son Michael’s ghost.

At the start of the play, she is querulous and consumed by her grief, and her daughters find her constant talk of death difficult to bear. However, by the end of the play, after Bartley’s death confirms her fears, she achieves a state of tragic dignity and calm resignation. She no longer fights her fate but accepts it, finding a “great rest” in the finality of her loss. Maurya is a powerful figure who represents a blend of Christian faith and older pagan beliefs, ultimately finding a strange peace in her complete and utter devastation.

16. Give a character sketch of Bartley.

Answer: Bartley is Maurya’s youngest and last surviving son, a quiet and responsible young man burdened with the duty of providing for his family. He is aware that he is the only man left to work and support his mother and sisters. His decision to sail to the Connemara horse fair, despite the dangerous weather and his mother’s pleas, is not born of recklessness but of a deep sense of economic necessity. He speaks “sadly and quietly,” showing that he does not take his decision lightly.

Bartley is practical and dutiful. Before he leaves, he gives his sisters clear instructions on how to manage the farm, telling them to look after the sheep and sell the pig if a good price is offered. He is respectful towards his mother, asking for her blessing even as he goes against her wishes. He represents the courage and determination of the islanders who must face the dangers of the sea to survive. His character highlights the tragic choice between safety and survival that his people constantly face.

17. How do Bartley’s actions show duty and economic necessity?

Answer: Bartley’s actions throughout his brief appearance in the play are a clear demonstration of his commitment to his duty and the economic necessities his family faces. As the only man left in the household, the responsibility to provide for his mother and sisters rests entirely on him. He makes this clear when he says, “It’s hard set we’ll be from this day with no one in it but one man to work.”

His determination to go to the Galway fair is driven by these pressures. He explains that it is a “good fair for horses” and, more importantly, that the boat he must take is the only one sailing for two weeks or more. This highlights the urgency and the financial importance of the trip. Furthermore, his final actions before leaving are to give his sisters practical instructions about managing the farm, such as looking after the sheep and gathering kelp. These actions show a responsible young man who is focused on his family’s survival, proving that his dangerous journey is a matter of necessity, not choice.

18. Give a character sketch of Cathleen.

Answer: Cathleen is Maurya’s elder daughter, a responsible and practical young woman of about twenty who has taken on the role of managing the household. She is seen performing domestic chores like kneading cake and spinning, and she takes the lead in handling the family’s crises. When Nora brings the tragic news about Michael, it is Cathleen who makes the sensible decision to hide the evidence from their mother to spare her immediate pain.

She has a complex relationship with her mother. While she is compassionate and protective, she is also impatient with Maurya’s constant talk of death, which she sees as unlucky and unproductive. She scolds her mother for not giving Bartley a blessing. Cathleen is grounded in the harsh realities of their life and tries to face them with strength. However, she is not unfeeling; she is deeply saddened by the confirmation of Michael’s death and the loss of Bartley, showing that beneath her practical exterior lies the same sorrow that afflicts her family.

19. Give a character sketch of Nora.

Answer: Nora is Maurya’s younger daughter and is portrayed as being more gentle and sensitive than her sister, Cathleen. She often acts as the messenger, bringing news from the outside world into the isolated cottage. It is Nora who brings the bundle of clothes from the priest, and she does so softly and fearfully, aware of the pain it might cause. She tends to follow Cathleen’s lead in making decisions, showing her reliance on her older sister.

Nora is also the most openly religious of the two sisters. She tries to find comfort in the priest’s words, reminding her family that he said God would not leave their mother destitute. Her emotional nature is clear when she is the one to definitively identify Michael’s stocking by the number of stitches she knitted, a realization that causes her to cry out in grief. She expresses her sorrow openly, lamenting that nothing is left of a great man but a few old clothes. She is a kind, pious, and sorrowful figure in the tragic household.

20. Recount Maurya’s list of the men she has lost to the sea.

Answer: In a moment of deep sorrow and fatalistic foresight, Maurya recounts the devastating list of men from her family who have been taken by the sea. Her accounting shows the relentless nature of the tragedy that has defined her entire life.

She states that she has lost her husband, her husband’s father, and six sons. She recalls the specific fates of some of them with painful clarity. She mentions Stephen and Shawn, who were lost in a great wind and whose bodies were later found and brought home on a single plank. She also remembers Sheamus and his father, along with her own husband’s father, who were all lost together on a dark night, leaving no trace behind. She speaks of another son, Patch, who drowned when his small boat, a curagh, overturned. This grim list, which also includes her son Michael, who is confirmed dead during the play, illustrates the immense and unending toll the sea has taken on her family.

21. Describe Maurya’s vision at the spring well. What makes it so fearful?

Answer: Maurya’s vision at the spring well is a chilling and supernatural event that she describes as the “fearfulest thing” she has ever witnessed. While waiting to give Bartley her blessing, she saw him ride past on the red mare. Immediately following him was the gray pony. Riding on the gray pony was the ghost of her son Michael, who had been dead for nine days. She saw him clearly, dressed in “fine clothes” and “new shoes.”

The vision is so fearful because, in the folklore of the islanders, it is a direct and unmistakable omen of death. Seeing the ghost of a dead relative, especially one riding alongside a living person, signifies that the living person is being claimed by the world of the dead. The image of the dead son following the living one is a powerful symbol that Bartley’s fate is sealed. It transforms Maurya’s anxiety into a terrible certainty, confirming that the sea, or death itself, is literally riding to claim her last remaining son.

22. Maurya says, “it is the young men do be leaving things behind for them that do be old.” Explain this statement.

Answer: This statement by Maurya is a heartbreaking observation about how life in her community is a tragic reversal of the natural order. She says this while holding the walking stick that her dead son, Michael, had left behind.

She explains that in the “big world,” it is the old people who die and leave their possessions and heritage for their children and grandchildren. This is the normal, expected cycle of life. However, in her world, which is dominated by the sea, this cycle is turned upside down. It is the young men who die first, taken in their prime by the sea. As a result, they are the ones who leave their few belongings—like a walking stick or a set of clothes—behind for their elderly parents. The old are left to bury the young and are surrounded not by a legacy for the future, but by the painful mementos of a lost generation.

23. What arrangements does Bartley make before leaving? What does this reveal about his character?

Answer: Before he leaves on his dangerous journey, Bartley makes several practical arrangements for the family and the farm, demonstrating his responsible and dutiful character. He instructs his sister Cathleen to watch the sheep to ensure they do not get into the rye. He also gives her permission to sell the family’s pig if the jobber comes and offers a good price. He then tells both his sisters that if the good weather holds, they should gather more seaweed to make another pile for kelp, an important source of income.

These arrangements reveal that Bartley is the acting head of the household. He is hardworking, practical, and deeply concerned with the family’s well-being. Even as he prepares to face the sea, his thoughts are on how his mother and sisters will manage in his absence. His instructions show that he is not simply a reckless youth, but a responsible provider who is fulfilling his necessary role in a very harsh environment.

24. How does Maurya try to dissuade Bartley from his journey? What arguments does she use?

Answer: Maurya uses every argument she can think of to try to dissuade Bartley from his journey to the sea. Her arguments are a mix of practical warnings, emotional pleas, and morbid predictions.

First, she points to the dangerous weather, telling him he should not go with the wind rising from the south and west. She then tries to use the authority of the church, claiming that the “young priest will stop him surely.” When that fails, she uses a more grim tactic, telling him to leave the new rope he is taking because it will be needed to bury his brother Michael. Her most powerful and emotional argument is when she questions the value of his trip, asking, “what is the price of a thousand horses against a son where there is one son only?” She tries to make him understand that no amount of money is worth his life.

25. Bartley is determined to go to the sea. What are his reasons for the journey?

Answer: Bartley is determined to go to the sea not out of stubbornness or a desire for adventure, but for reasons of stark economic necessity and his duty as the family’s sole provider. He sees the journey as essential for their survival.

His main reason is to travel to the horse fair in Connemara. He has heard that it will be a “good fair for horses,” which means he has a chance to earn money that the family desperately needs. He also stresses the urgency of the trip, explaining that the boat he must catch is the “one boat going for two weeks or beyond it.” Missing this opportunity would have serious financial consequences. He understands his responsibility completely, stating that the family will be “hard set” with only one man to do the work. His journey is a calculated risk taken for the good of his family.

26. Explain the symbolism of the gray pony riding behind the red mare.

Answer: The image of the gray pony riding behind Bartley’s red mare is a powerful symbol of life being pursued by death. On a literal level, Bartley is taking both animals to the fair. Symbolically, however, the two animals represent opposing forces.

The red mare that Bartley rides can be seen as a symbol of life, energy, and vitality. The color red is often associated with blood and life force. The gray pony, in contrast, becomes a symbol of death and the supernatural. Gray is the color of shadows and ghosts. This symbolism is confirmed when Maurya has her vision of the ghost of her dead son, Michael, riding on the gray pony. Therefore, the image of the gray pony following the red mare visually represents the idea that death is stalking Bartley. It is a fatal omen, showing that his life is being followed closely by the same fate that claimed his brothers.

27. What is the final state of mind Maurya achieves? How is this shown in her last words?

Answer: The final state of mind Maurya achieves is one of profound, tragic peace and stoic acceptance. After a lifetime of constant fear and grief, the death of her last son brings her to a place beyond suffering. She is no longer fighting against her fate but has become completely resigned to it. It is a bleak and sorrowful peace, but it is a peace nonetheless, free from the torment of hope and anxiety.

This is powerfully shown in her last words. She finds small comforts, noting that Michael has a “clean burial” and Bartley will have a “fine coffin.” She then asks, “What more can we want than that?” This question reveals her acceptance that a dignified death is the best that can be hoped for in their world. Her final statement, “No man at all can be living for ever, and we must be satisfied,” is the ultimate expression of her new state of mind. It is a calm and complete acceptance of mortality and her own devastating destiny.

28. The sea is a powerful force in the play. How do the characters speak of it?

Answer: In the play, the characters speak of the sea as a living, powerful, and often cruel force that completely dominates their existence. It is not just a part of nature; it is an active antagonist in their lives. The introduction describes it as an “impersonal, but relentless” source of cruelty.

The characters constantly monitor its mood. Nora reports a “great roaring in the west” and knows it will get worse, showing their constant awareness of its threat. For Maurya, the sea is a personal enemy that has systematically destroyed her family. Her comment that the priest “knows of the sea” very little suggests that its true, terrible nature can only be understood by those who suffer its power directly. Her final statement, “there isn’t anything more the sea can do to me,” personifies the sea as a tormentor who has finally exhausted its ability to harm her. It is both their source of livelihood and their greatest source of death and sorrow.

29. In her final speech, Maurya says, “there isn’t anything more the sea can do to me.” What does she mean?

Answer: When Maurya says, “there isn’t anything more the sea can do to me,” she is expressing a profound and heartbreaking truth about her life. She means that she has reached the absolute limit of suffering. The sea, which she views as a cruel and active force, has taken everything from her: her husband, her husband’s father, and now all six of her sons.

With the death of Bartley, her last son, there is no one left for the sea to take. Her life has been a long, agonizing cycle of fear, prayer, and loss. Now, that cycle is finally broken. The statement signifies that she is finally free from the torment of anxiety and the false hope that another son might be spared. It is a declaration of total loss, but it is also a statement of bleak liberation. The sea has won its war against her family, and in her complete and utter defeat, she finds a strange and final peace.