I Cheerfully Refuse

Content Warning: This guide includes moments of and references to suicide, addiction, abuse, and domestic violence.

The protagonist and narrator of I Cheerfully Refuse, Rainy’s journey throughout the novel resembles that of the mythical Orpheus. Like Orpheus, Rainy is a talented musician who can influence others’ emotions through his playing. The similarities don’t stop there though, as Rainy and Orpheus both share the tragedy of losing their wives. Rainy’s wife, Lark, is murdered, and Rainy, overcome with grief, decides to pursue an Orphean journey to find her soul again:

On the boat I was also alone but with the persistent sense of Lark nearby. She was walking over at this moment, carrying books or sandwiches […] Or—if not nearby—Lark seemed at least somewhere, someplace real, a destination reachable by someone resolute (94).

In his grief, Rainy accepts that Lark is dead but, haunted by her memory and presence, comes to believe that she still exists in some form. He thinks that if she does still exist, she’ll be at the Slate Islands, a special place for the two of them. This wish to reunite drives Rainy throughout the novel and represents his ultimate goal.