Secret Bread

"Secret Bread" by F. Tennyson Jesse is a story set in the early 1900s, where a man named James Ruan, on his deathbed, faces the consequences of his past as he prepares to marry Annie, the mother of his children. The tale examines the clash between what people want and what society expects, especially when it comes to family issues, how people are ranked in society, and what happens to the next generation. Ruan is stuck thinking about his choices and worries about what will happen to his kids after he dies. Young Ishmael, Ruan’s son, provides a look at childhood innocence, which is a big change from the worries of the adults. The opening of the novel establishes the themes of what will be passed down to the next generation, love, and what kind of mark people leave behind in a small town in Cornwall.