Discuss the predicament of coastal people through the lens of "Riders to the Sea".

Maurya represents tradition; her children and the young priest, on the other hand, represent modernity. Maurya knows everything about the island and its particulars; her religion is more paganistic than Catholic, her views stubbornly held. She does not embrace new ideas of comforting Catholicism or commerce. She only knows her small life, which is clear when she is wary to even leave her cottage.

Maurya's children, in contrast, deride her "senseless" behavior and rigid adherence to her beliefs. They look beyond the island to the wider world; the young priest is the connection between these two spaces. The tensions between the two worlds most impact Bartley, who understands the sea is dangerous but feels its pull because he is a man and must secure a livelihood for his family. At the end of the play it is clear modernity will ultimately dominate, but it is also clear that Maurya's worldview is still important and has much to teach the younger generation.