Familial Change and Crisis in Elizabeth Strout’s Pandemic Novel Lucy by the Sea

Abstract

Elizabeth Strout’s Lucy by the Sea (2022) captures the unsettling experience of forced change during the COVID-19 pandemic, exploring both personal and societal transformation through the lens of its introspective protagonist, Lucy Barton. This paper examines how the novel portrays intergenerational shifts and psychological adaptation in response to crisis, situating it within broader discussions of pandemic literature. The novel foregrounds the ways in which different generations experience and process global upheaval. Lucy and William, as aging individuals, are confronted with their own vulnerabilities and shifting priorities, while their daughters navigate the uncertainty of young adulthood. At the same time, Lucy by the Sea reflects on crisis as a catalyst for change, showing how external instability forces a reconsideration of relationships, emotional resilience, and the self. Through Lucy’s deeply personal yet universally resonant narrative, Strout engages with themes of isolation, loss, and adaptation, raising questions about how individuals and families reconfigure their identities in the wake of collective trauma. By analyzing Strout’s exploration of intergenerational change and psychological resilience, this paper considers how Lucy by the Sea contributes to contemporary literary responses to crisis and the evolving cultural memory of the pandemic.