A Singular Life

"A Singular Life" by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps is a story from the late 1800s about big ideas like right and wrong, religion, and what it was like for young men training to be ministers. The story centers on Emanuel Bayard, a man stuck between what he believes and what people expect of him. At first, we see students talking about what they inherit from their parents and their different ideas. Bayard seems thoughtful but is unsure of himself and what he wants. The story switches between students talking and Bayard thinking about his future, showing he wants to succeed but also questions religion and struggles with himself. Later, a woman named Helen Carruth comes into the story, making things more complicated with love and the problems of society.