Eris

"Eris" by Robert W. Chambers is a story that introduces us to Eris, a young girl whose arrival brings tension to her family and sets the stage for a life of challenging expectations. The story begins with Eris's birth to her parents, Elmer and Fanny Odell, where her father, Elmer, reveals his disappointment over not having a son to help on the farm; after twenty years of marriage without children, he now has something, but not what he wanted. During the difficult circumstances of Eris's birth, her mother passes away, intensifying the challenges and emotional landscape that surrounds Eris's upbringing. Raised in the shadow of Elmer’s unfulfilled dreams, Eris grows up curious and yearns for a world beyond her family's land, drawing her toward artistic pursuits. The early portion of the novel highlights the complicated family relationships and emphasizes the contrast between Eris's label as a "daughter of discord" and her rising ambition to surpass the limits placed upon her.