The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy

Throughout the novel’s interwoven conflicts, Bannen implicitly argues that loneliness is particularly painful and damaging because humans need emotional connection and meaningful relationships in order to be happy in life. However, the author also suggests that true and lasting connections can only be forged by embracing openness and vulnerability and risking potential pain, loss, and rejection. As Hart reveals in his letters, he is tormented by loneliness, which stems from several interrelated fears. He fears the implications of the possibility that he is immortal, and the thought of outliving all of his loved ones has compelled him to keep the entire world at a distance. Thus, his real fear stems from his unwillingness to experience the loss and pain associated with forming meaningful connections, and he has never managed to process his grief over losing his mother, his mentor (Bill), and his dog (Gracie).

Moreover, in the specific context of his relationship with Mercy, Hart is afraid to reveal his true self and underlying faults because he fears that she will reject him outright, leaving him alone and in emotional pain once again. In his stubborn refusal to assume the full risks of vulnerability, he keeps secrets that endanger the connections that he has managed to make, laboring under the misguided belief that Mercy deserves someone better than him. Overcome by his fear of rejection, he resists embracing the honesty that underlies all meaningful relationships, and his reticence in this area forms one of the novel’s primary conflicts. 

By contrast, Mercy understands that in order to be loved and to accept love in return, it is necessary to risk being truly seen, even if rejection is a possible outcome of such vulnerability. Unlike Hart, Mercy demonstrates her bravery and willingness to be vulnerable both in her letters and in her real-time romance with Hart, and her courageous actions demonstrate the benefits of this direct approach. Even so, Hart persists in demonstrating a problematic pattern of avoidance, constantly retreating from vulnerability because he cannot face the risk of exposing himself to new sources of emotional pain. This tendency is also apparent in his fractured friendship with Alma, his standoffishness with other friends and coworkers, and his inability to be entirely honest with Mercy.

Initially, both characters resist showing each other the vulnerability that is necessary to advance their relationship. Instead, they seek the semblance of intimacy by engaging in a “remote” relationship with an unknown person, not realizing that they are writing to one another. In the early stages of the novel, they both use their anonymous letter-writing as a shield to avoid revealing their real selves and risking rejection from their unknown pen pal. However, both Lillian and Bassareus argue that such an ethereal relationship is illusory and ultimately meaningless. Because Hart and Mercy are using the letters to distill and curate only the best parts of themselves, they cannot truly come to know each other via this medium. As Bassareus tells Hart, the letters allow them both to avoid the responsibility of taking on the difficult and often uncomfortable work required to forge an authentic relationship in real-time. Once Mercy accepts this truth, she leans into her discomfort and risks showing her true self in order to build a more lasting connection. However, because Hart’s fear of vulnerability lies in his fear of immortality, he must first reconcile his deeper fears about his own nature before he can embrace the prospect of a lasting romance with Mercy. He therefore avoids being fully honest and open until his hand is forced, and only in the aftermath of this confrontation does he realize that the pain of losing Mercy and reverting to his state of loneliness is far worse than enduring the discomfort of showing vulnerability.