The Ebb-Tide: A Trio And Quartette

"The Ebb-Tide: A Trio And Quartette" by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne is a story about three struggling men, Robert Herrick, Brown, and Huish, grappling with their lives on the shores of Tahiti in the late 1800s. The story is about who they are, how desperate they are, and how bad their morals are as they struggle to survive amid the island's tempting beauty and cold truths. We meet the three men on a dark, cold beach. They are portrayed as hungry and ill-stricken individuals whose problems and sorrows have led them to a place of hopelessness. Robert Herrick, of the group, shows us a glimpse of his humanity, holding onto some value of who he use to be. Their interactions are affected by their shame and humor, and the shadow of an influenza outbreak brings even more hardship on their journey, setting the scene for a further study of their common failings and of radical redemption.