The Shoulders of Atlas: A Novel

"The Shoulders of Atlas: A Novel" by Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman is a story of a couple, Henry and Sylvia Whitman, facing hardship in the early 1900s. Henry carries the weight of financial worries, made worse by his unfulfilled dreams. Sylvia, his wife, is frail but works hard to help them get by. Their lives take a turn when they learn about a sick relative named Abrahama White. Her expected death offers a possible inheritance that could solve their money problems, but also brings to the surface the underlying tensions and desires threatening their happiness. The story explores the thorny relationship between wealth, personal values, and finding true contentment in life.