Half loaves

"Half Loaves" by Margaret Culkin Banning is a tale set around a group of young women in a convent at the start of the 1900's. The story centers on Cecily and her fellow students who are thinking about their lives and considering what they desire from life as they come closer to departing the convent. As they attend a missionary priest's talk, the possible futures awaiting them—being married, staying single, or taking holy vows and becoming a nun—are presented. Her response to the talk, the women soon begin to consider what they will do with their lives once they have departed the convent. Through these discussions, the group is forced to confront their own emotions as they consider the futures ahead of them.