The Rough Crossing

The first paragraph of "The Rough Crossing" describes the sights, sounds, and sensations of the transition from ship to shore. The final sentence of this paragraph reads: The past, the continent,...

The setting of "The Rough Crossing" is a luxury ocean liner crossing the Atlantic Ocean during a hurricane in the late 1920s. The initially calm pleasure cruise becomes a nightmare as pounding waves...

Symbolism in "The Rough Crossing" includes the storm, representing the turbulent state of the Smiths' marriage during their Atlantic journey. The storm parallels their relationship's strains,...

There's a slight clue to Eva's feelings when we're told that she feels that Adrian's public manner has hardened toward her slightly. This is just after Adrian has finished his deck tennis match...

Miss Elizabeth D'Amido, or Betsy for short, is a very pretty young lady who embarks upon a brief fling with Adrian Smith. Inevitably, this wreaks havoc on his marriage to Eva, who knows exactly...

Adrian Smith is a playwright and a minor celebrity. Though he is not very famous, he is accustomed to being recognized, and the hero worship of Betsy D'Amido is neither surprising nor disagreeable...

Eva Smith and Betsy D'Amido are both described as young and beautiful. However, they have quite different styles of beauty. Eva is blonde and is said by Butterworth to look like a Greek goddess,...

Eva never actually says that she wants a divorce from Adrian. But after she discovers that he's been cheating on her with Betsy D'Amido, that's certainly the direction in which the Smiths' marriage...

Adrian Smith is an extroverted young man who draws energy from being in company, and enjoys his celebrity status. He loves his wife in his own way, but does not share her depth of feeling, and is...