Friendship
The relationship between Agnes and Polly is complex and nuanced. It is clear that there has been a lot of history between them—they have known each other for decades—and yet they still struggle to understand and accept each other’s choices. Agnes cannot understand why Polly would not support her plan to protect Fellowship Point, while Polly cannot understand why Agnes won’t accept her decision to stay with her husband despite his flaws. When Agnes asks Polly to support her in dissolving the family partnership, Polly struggles with this decision. This conflict highlights that even long-standing friendships can be fraught with disagreement and misunderstanding and that it takes effort to bridge these divides. They struggle to come to terms with the reality that life has changed since they were young—Polly’s family responsibilities have taken precedence over her friendship with Agnes—but eventually, come to an understanding that allows them both to move on. Despite this inner conflict, Polly decides to remain loyal to her best friend and agrees to help Agnes protect Fellowship Point from development. Throughout the novel, both characters learn how to forgive each other’s faults and appreciate their differences.
Conserving the Natural World
Agnes and Polly fight to preserve the Point—a wild, pristine stretch of land on the coast of Maine—from developers. They see the Point as a refuge of peace and beauty, thereby, a place that should remain untainted by human greed and ambition. Their struggle to save it is symbolic of a larger battle to protect the environment. The narrative illustrates the importance of preserving the natural world and the lengths to which we must go to do so. The novel touches on the implications of unchecked development on our environment. For instance, Archie attempts to sell the land to developers with little regard for its ecological importance. The two women are willing to sacrifice their comfort and security to protect the land and its inhabitants, which shows their dedication to the cause. By donating the Point to a land trust, Agnes and Polly ensure its future as a haven for wildlife as well as a source of joy for generations to come. When Maud travels to the Point, she is enamored with its beauty and feels a spiritual connection to the land. This connection leads her to advocate for its preservation, and she even helps Agnes and Polly in their fight against the developers.
Reckoning with History
Agnes and Polly try to protect the land from developers who would destroy its historical significance while also coming to terms with their pasts. Through the indigenous people of Maine, the novel examines how history can be both honored and forgotten at the same time. It emphasizes the past choices that affect one's present and the difficulty in confronting uncomfortable truths about their ancestors' actions. The novel focuses on themes such as responsibility, guilt, forgiveness, redemption, and reconciliation concerning reckoning with history. Agnes and Polly find a way to reclaim the land for its original inhabitants ensuring a better future for both them and those who will come after them. Through this realization, they are forced to confront their complicity in the erasure of indigenous people's experiences and histories. Moreover, Agnes grapples with her personal history and its impact on her present life situation. She must face up to old decisions she made to move forward into a new chapter in her life.
