So Far Gone

In an increasingly broken world, Rhys’s decision to abandon everything and move to the woods sounds appealing. If ignorance is bliss, then Rhys has found the perfect way to live, avoiding the 24-hour news cycle and the sense of doom it brings. However, the novel presents itself as a critique of escapism, beginning not when Rhys makes the decision to leave the world behind, but when the world finds its way to his doorstep to show that the crisis has escalated. As the novel unfolds, Walter examines other forms of escapism, showing how running away from problems only makes them worse.

In Chapter 2, Rhys justifies his self-exile by claiming that he was turning away from a world that no longer needed him: “[I]t was almost like I wasn’t the one choosing exile… it seemed like I was being sent away” (84-85). After losing his job, his girlfriend, and his family, Rhys relinquishes responsibility over his choices by framing himself as a passive actor in his own life. From his perspective, it wasn’t that he wanted to hit Shane, but that Shane revealed to him how little his presence meant to his family. Rhys continues to think this way until his grandchildren arrive on his doorstep, telling him how bad things have gotten.