# III: Launched explained — Barriers Burned Away

> Chapter companion for Barriers Burned Away by Edward Payson Roe.

## What happens

After Mr. Fleet's death, the family sells their farm and moves to a small house in Bankville. Dennis, buoyant and ambitious, sets off for Chicago, believing it an Eldorado where he can win fortune and fame for his family. His mother, though grieving, finds solace in her faith and encourages him with Christian principles. The chapter contrasts Dennis's naive optimism with the harsh realities of social barriers he will face.

## Themes in this chapter

### Faith and Doubt

Mrs. Fleet's vision of her husband's reception in heaven and her reliance on Christian faith to overcome grief illustrate the theme of faith as a source of comfort and strength.

### Family and Duty

Dennis takes on the role of provider and comforter for his mother and sisters, showing his sense of duty and the importance of family bonds.

### Social Class and Barriers

The narrator foreshadows that Dennis will encounter social distinctions based on wealth and fashion, which can be more insurmountable than ignorance or immorality.

## Character check-ins

### Dennis Fleet

Sanguine and ambitious, Dennis leaves for Chicago to seek fortune, believing he can overcome any obstacle. He is both wise and naive, unaware of the social distinctions that await him.

### Mr. Fleet

Has just died, leaving the family in mourning. His death is described as a peaceful sleep, and his wife finds comfort in a vision of his heavenly reception.

### Mrs. Fleet

The grieving widow who finds strength in her faith and her son's support. She imparts wise, though unworldly, advice to Dennis before his departure.

### Ethel Fleet

One of Dennis's younger sisters, who along with her sibling, approaches their dead father for a morning kiss, illustrating the family's tender handling of death.

## Key lines

> The world was all before him, and Chicago, the young and giant city of the West, seemed an Eldorado, where fortune, and perhaps fame, might soon be won.

Dennis saw Chicago as a land of opportunity where he could quickly achieve wealth and renown.

_Reflects Dennis's naive optimism and the allure of the growing city._

> He would discover that wealth and the endorsement of a few fashionable people, though all else were lacking, would be a better passport than the noblest qualities and fine abilities.

Dennis would learn that social acceptance depends more on money and connections than on personal merit.

_Foreshadows the theme of social class barriers._

> Asleep in Jesus! blessed sleep! From which none ever wakes to weep.

The hymn comforts the family by portraying death as a peaceful sleep from which there is no sorrowful awakening.

_Illustrates the family's Christian faith and their gentle approach to explaining death to the children._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/barriers_burned_away_se/chapters/iii-launched
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/barriers_burned_away_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/barriers_burned_away_se/chapters