Everything in This Country Must by Colum McCann
"Everything in This Country Must" by Colum McCann is a poignant short story narrated by a fifteen-year-old girl named Katie, set against the backdrop of rural Ireland. The narrative opens with a gripping scene where Katie and her father attempt to rescue their beloved Belgian mare from a flooded river. The father, burdened by the tragic loss of his wife and son to a British military truck, grapples with his emotions while facing the external assistance of British soldiers, who arrive to help in a moment of desperation. The story explores themes of grief, cultural tension, and the complexities of human relationships, especially as Katie experiences conflicting feelings toward one of the soldiers, Stevie.
As the soldiers aid in the horse's rescue, they inadvertently provoke the father’s anger and resentment, leading to a confrontation fueled by his unresolved trauma. This tension culminates in a climax that involves both physical and emotional violence, reflecting the broader societal fractures resulting from historical conflict. Ultimately, the story presents a nuanced examination of personal and collective loss, capturing a moment where the boundaries of empathy and animosity blur. The emotional weight of the narrative is amplified by Katie’s perspective, revealing her struggle to navigate her loyalties and the harsh realities of her father's grief.
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Everything in This Country Must by Colum McCann
First published: 1999
Type of plot: Regional, psychological
Time of work: The late twentieth century
Locale: Northern Ireland
Principal Characters:
Katie , a tall fifteen-year-old girlAn Irish farmer , her fatherHayknife , a British soldier with a scarStevie , a British soldier who frees the horse
The Story
"Everything in This Country Must" is a first-person account related by fifteen-year-old Katie, who speaks in a voice that is at once straightforward and poetic. The story begins with Katie and her father working to pull their horse from a flooded river, in which one of its hooves is caught between rocks. Katie pulls on a rope to keep the horse's head above water while her father, who is smaller than she is and afraid of the river, dives beneath the surface to attempt to free the horse's trapped hoof. The threat of losing the Belgian mare carries special significance to her father because he has also lost his wife (called Mammy by Katie) and son Fiachra; later in the story it is revealed that they died after being hit by a British military truck.
When headlights appear in the distance, it appears that help has arrived in the form of a neighbor or friend; instead, the strangers' accents reveal them to be British, and their uniforms suggest that they are soldiers. The farmer's desire to rescue the horse seems to flag at this point, though the soldiers are eager to assist, even risking their lives to save the horse from drowning. When the soldiers treat Katie kindly, lending her a jacket and speaking to her with affection, her father responds by violently pushing one of them away and speaking rudely.
To help save the horse, the soldiers—assuming that the horse is more valuable than a hedge—drive their truck through the hedge, ignoring the protests of the farmer. After the destruction of the hedge, the farmer curses the soldiers and seems to be overcome with grief; the soldiers' easy, thoughtless destruction of the hedge clearly reminds him of the loss of his wife and son. In flashback, it is revealed that nobody was held legally responsible for their deaths.
At this point, the story jumps forward a few hours. The horse has been rescued and is being kept under heat lamps, and at Katie's invitation (and her father's reluctant agreement), the soldiers are enjoying tea in the family farmhouse. The girl describes her complicated tea-making ritual and the soldiers' amusement with it. One of the soldiers, Stevie, smiles repeatedly at her, and her father blanches with disapproval. Katie is confused by Stevie's behavior, even as she is attracted to him. The soldiers' behavior seems innocent, but her father acts as if they are making rude advances toward his daughter. Throughout the conversation, photographs of the dead mother and brother look down from the mantelpiece. When the farmer uses the curtain to dry Katie's hair because all of the towels have been used by the soldiers, the soldier Katie refers to as "Hayknife" offers his towel; her father rudely refuses, and the undercurrent of tension in the room erupts into angry shouting. While the farmer and Hayknife nearly come to blows, Katie sees Stevie looking at the photographs of her dead brother and mother and believes that he understands her father's fear and anger.
After the soldiers have driven away in their truck, the farmer leans his head on the mantelpiece near the photographs and cries. Then he fetches his hunting rifle and leaves the house. Katie hears three shots, and when her father returns to the house, she understands that he has shot his favorite draft horse as it lay under the heat lamps in the barn.