# Fate and Inevitability in Short Fiction

> Theme guide for Short Fiction by Mary Shelley.

The stories frequently emphasize a sense of unavoidable destiny or 'hideous necessity,' where characters are trapped by circumstances, family history, or their own choices, leading to tragic outcomes.

## Where it surfaces

- [A Tale of the Passions](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_38_se/chapters/a-tale-of-the-passions): The characters speak of bloodshed and conflict as inescapable, with Cincolo declaring that peace will never come until both parties are 'cold under one bier.'
- [The Sisters of Albano](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_38_se/chapters/the-sisters-of-albano): The narrative suggests that the mingling of love with crime inevitably leads to tragedy, as foreshadowed by the Countess's remarks.
- [The Evil Eye](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_38_se/chapters/the-evil-eye): The Evil Eye as a supernatural force of doom, the Morai (Fates) howling in the wind, and the sense that the child's fate is sealed by dark powers.
- [The Mourner](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_38_se/chapters/the-mourner): Ellen's tragic end is portrayed as an unavoidable outcome of her suffering, highlighting fate and inevitability.
- [Transformation](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_38_se/chapters/transformation): Guido is compelled to tell his tale by an 'intellectual earthquake,' and his transformation is framed as an inescapable lesson.
- [The Dream](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_38_se/chapters/the-dream): Constance's dream and her decision to sleep on St. Catherine's couch reflect a belief in fate and divine guidance.
- [The Pilgrims](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_38_se/chapters/the-pilgrims): Ida's secret marriage and Burkhardt's curse set in motion a tragic chain of events that culminate in her death, yet the arrival of her children suggests a destined reconciliation.
- [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_38_se/chapters/i): The father's seemingly perfect happiness is abruptly shattered by Diana's death, suggesting an inescapable tragic fate.
- [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_38_se/chapters/vi): Mathilda feels that a mighty revolution has taken place, that the natural work of years has been transacted in a few hours, and that she and her father must be forever separated by seas and lands.
- [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_38_se/chapters/xii): The narrator accepts her approaching death as a natural and peaceful end, viewing it as an inevitable release from suffering.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_38_se/themes/fate_and_inevitability
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_38_se/themes