The Sea in Winter

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of mental illness, death, and racism.

Initially, Maisie experiences the drastic change in her life as a “loss” and feels a deep sense of grief when her leg injury forces her to abandon her dreams of being a dancer. These intense feelings of loss traumatize her and reinforce her distress, preventing her from finding new avenues of expression. At the beginning of the novel, Maisie refuses to accept her new reality and “daydreams” about returning to dancing, feeling chronically “disconnected” from herself, her family, and her community. As Maisie’s knee injury impacts her mental health and forces her to abandon her ballet classes, Day portrays the protagonist’s inner turmoil and explores the diverse factors that disrupt her well-being and sense of self. Ballet once offered Maisie a sense of peace and helped her forget her troubles and focus on being “creative and expressive” (13), but with the loss of this vital outlet, Maisie experiences an acute emotional crisis and longs for a new way to find spiritual sustenance.

Newly faced with the impossibility of becoming a ballerina, Maisie feels disconnected even from the friends who once offered her a crucial support system.