Anything Is Possible

The final three chapters of Anything Is Possible explore the value of appreciating the present and negotiating self-perception. Dottie Blaine, formerly one of the most impoverished children in Amgash, transforms her life through the stable employment of owning and running a bed-and-breakfast. Largely because of her traumatic past, Dottie engages in her work with empathy for the diverse people who come through her bed-and-breakfast. Dottie ends the cycle of abuse by embracing the positivity in her life. She doesn’t succumb to unproductive and circular self-flagellation for the pains of her past. Instead, she cheerfully goes about her work and confidently asserts herself in the world. Charlie’s stay with her recalls the night that Charlie gave Tracy money and broke up with her. Strout points to Charlie’s next step: a cathartic night of dealing with his pain under Dottie Blaine’s care. Dottie sees Charlie not as a damaged man who represents weakness or hypocrisy but as a hurt man who stoically pursues his pain. Dottie sees Charlie in ways that other people don’t, possibly because of their relationship as strangers. In giving Charlie the kindness of careful but unintrusive help, Strout uses Dottie to re-establish Charlie’s humanity. Although Dottie doesn’t know it, Charlie is one of the characters who presents a foil to her character. Charlie is caught up in his past, which leads to his deep pain. Meanwhile, Dottie embraces her present even though her past is also traumatic. This gives Dottie self-confidence; she knows that most of her guests would be horrified and embarrassed for her if they knew about her childhood eating food out of dumpsters. However, Dottie no longer cares; she chooses to leave those days in the past. Dottie’s memories occasionally creep up uninvited, such as when shifting light in the room reminds her of a summer visiting a relative without her brother, Abel. Nevertheless, these memories are momentary, and Dottie can acknowledge them without letting painful memories dictate her present.

Dottie’s insights about culture and class are possible only because she navigates the past through the present. As a child, Dottie’s life was rife with turmoil and poverty. Her transition to a stable and secure adult life has taught Dottie that most people prefer to subconsciously live in their boxes and perceptions of socioeconomic status and culture. Shelly Small represents this reality. Shelly is so comfortable in her socioeconomic status and New England pedigree that her stability leads to a lack of empathy. Shelly talks at Dottie for two hours about a story that visibly upsets her. Despite Shelly’s authentic feelings, Dottie notes that this story is hardly a cry-worthy problem in the hierarchy of problems and traumas. Although Dottie is nice to Shelly, Shelly is unaware that Dottie’s listening ear comes from her understanding that Shelly can’t help but believe that her superficial problems are at the center of the universe. Dottie can support Charlie and Shelly, two characters dealing with inner conflicts on opposite ends of the spectrum of problems, because she’s well-versed in trauma, resilience, and patience with people. Because Dottie lives in the present instead of in the past, she confidently deals with other people even when they don’t return her compassion. When she overhears the Smalls making fun of her, Dottie recognizes that the real problem is within the Smalls themselves—Dottie doesn’t internalize other peoples’ judgments of her. This empowers her in ways that other characters in the novel, such as Patty Nicely, haven’t achieved.

In Chapter 8, Annie Appleby, a secondary character first introduced by Shelly in Chapter 7, is another example of the empowerment that occurs when people live in their present. As an actress, Annie finds exhilarating comfort in stage presence. Being on stage transports her to another world. This disembodiment gives Annie an escape from the problems of her lived world, but that escapism doesn’t interfere with her ability to understand her lived world. She can bring more empathy and compassion to her family because of this tool. Annie can balance the flaws and beautiful qualities of her family members because, as an actress who analyzes people for a living, she knows that people are multilayered. Annie extends this analysis to herself. Life’s stresses don’t bring her down. Annie’s strong sense of self comes from an experience that parallels Lucy Barton’s. Like Lucy, Annie moved away from home and created a successful life for herself. Like Lucy, Annie has siblings whose memories of their childhood are harsher. Unlike Lucy, however, Annie can deal with her family’s conflicts without punishing herself. Thus, Annie is another character who knows how to appreciate the present even when it’s painful.

Abel Blaine, like his sister, Dottie, transcended their traumatic childhood and lives a wealthy and fulfilled life. Although Abel focuses on his family, his constant need to apologize for being rich demonstrates that he feels guilt about his past and present. Abel’s work ethic gave him financial stability as a teenager and young man, but his marrying into a wealthy family launched that security into a new socioeconomic strata. Although Abel doesn’t allow his past traumas to interfere in his work or family life, his guilt indicates that he hasn’t resolved all of his past conflicts. These conflicts relate to his synchronous love and resentment for Dottie. As her brother, Abel feels a duty to her that he resents, but she’s also the only person who understands what he’s been through. He and Dottie have a strong relationship, one of the novel’s only sibling relationships that survived family trauma. Abel is at peace with his life because of the joy that his children and grandchildren bring him. When Link interrogates and mocks him, Abel confidently responds to his questions and kindly engages Link. Like Dottie, Abel places less importance on how other people perceive him and more importance on how he views himself.

Strout’s last chapter creates a parallel with her first chapter. In Chapter 1, she presents Tommy as an older man who pushed through traumas and lives happily in the present because of his love for family. That Strout begins and ends the novel with two older men who place the value of family over their past struggles demonstrates the idea that family can save you from the terrible challenges of life. To Abel and Tommy, family is their dearest possession and the object of their pride. Both men build their families and create security for themselves, their wives, and their children. Because of their self-asserted positivity, both men are also able to spread their joy. Their influence on others provides hope and comfort.

In these final narratives, Strout emphasizes the importance of trusting in your self-perception over the perception that others may or may not have of you. Dottie, Annie, and Abel are all prime examples of people who use their resilience and their pasts to live fulfilled lives in the present. This makes them emotionally accessible, placing them in the roles of good friends and family leaders. They juxtapose the characters featured in the middle three chapters, who all deal with scars from their past as though those scars are fresh wounds.

The novel’s last sentence comes in the form of a revelation: “Anything was possible for anyone” (256). This revelation has positive and negative connotations. While it implies hope for everyone, it also means that danger may lurk around the corner for everyone. Strout’s ultimate point is that life is full of surprises, both good and bad, that cannot be controlled, so people should live for themselves, their loved ones, and in the moment.