Ashes Of Roses

“Good health would be worth more than gold on Ellis Island.”

This laconic statement emphasizes the fact that young Joseph Nolan must return to Ireland because he has trachoma, a contagious eye infection. As Rose grapples with the grim reality of being parted from her father and brother, she sees many other families split apart as well, and this traumatic experience tarnishes the shining image of the Statue of Liberty that supposedly welcomes all immigrants to a world of opportunity in the United States.

“A whole new world was stretchin’ out before me, and I wanted a chance to savor it before I was weighed down with babies like Ma.”

This passage highlights Rose’s excitement to begin a new life in America and seize the many fabled opportunities that have brought her and her family to New York. She knows that if she were to stay in Ireland, the choices for her life would be very limited, and she would most likely she end up marrying at a young age and having children. However, the eagerness of her tone also implies her inexperience and naïveté and foreshadows the disillusionment that awaits her.

“’Rose,’ I repeated, assertin’ my new American independence.”

When Rose chooses to drop the “Margaret” from her name, the decision signifies her desire to forge a new identity separate from her mother’s and different from the person she would have been if she had stayed in Ireland. Ironically, she later realizes that her new name is quite a common one, for there are 17 women named Rose at the Triangle.