Their Child

In Short

Published in 1903, this novella is a somber, psychological study of a marriage tested by an unforeseen catastrophe. When their son exhibits a sudden, brutal act of violence, Evelyn and Olaf Simmons are stripped of their comfortable, self-absorbed existence. The story tracks their desperate attempts to reconcile this reality with their pasts and their romantic illusions. It remains a poignant exploration of the hereditary anxieties of the era and the sobering, inevitable transition from the carefree passion of youth to the sacrificial, often agonizing, duty of parenthood.

The Story

The narrative centers on the affluent, seemingly idyllic life of Olaf and Evelyn Simmons. Olaf, a man of humble, mysterious origins who rose to success in mining, and Evelyn, his devoted wife, dote on their five-year-old son, Oscar. The facade of their happy domesticity is violently punctured when Oscar, in a fit of inexplicable rage, brutally attacks his nurse with a knife. This act of violence is not an isolated temper tantrum; it is a terrifying, mature expression of cruelty that leaves the child’s parents in shock.

Evelyn is paralyzed by horror. Haunted by the boy’s cold, calculated violence, she begins to fear that her son possesses a latent, destructive madness. She turns to her husband, pressing him to confront his own history. Olaf, who was raised by a rough, violent man named "old Oscar" in the mining camps of the Rockies, is forced to recount the dark, often lawless life of his benefactor. Evelyn comes to believe that the "Berserker" nature of the man who raised her husband has been transmitted to her son through some strange, hereditary fate.

The weight of this discovery fractures the couple’s relationship. Evelyn, feeling isolated and unable to reconcile the boy’s sweetness with his capacity for violence, contemplates flight. She briefly finds herself drawn to the attention of Dr. Vessinger, an old flame who represents a world of mundane, sophisticated distraction. Olaf, meanwhile, attempts to bury his own remorse and fear by drinking and putting on a display of bravado at a local social gathering. However, both parents eventually realize that their attempts to escape—whether through social pretense, distraction, or drink—are futile.

The climax arrives when Evelyn, desperate and near breaking, takes Oscar to the river, contemplating a tragic end to spare the child from his future. She is stopped by the reality of the boy’s presence and her husband's arrival. In the aftermath, the couple reaches a quiet, devastating clarity. They acknowledge that their youth and the careless joy they once shared have been permanently eclipsed by the shadow of their son’s nature. They decide, with heavy hearts, to stop running from their reality. The story concludes with a somber image of the couple walking across their lawn, each holding one of the child’s hands, signaling their silent pact to dedicate their remaining lives to guiding and struggling alongside him, accepting the heavy burden of their shared fate.

How It Unfolds

The domestic idyll The story opens on the terrace of the Simmons’ home, where guests gather to admire the couple's beautiful estate and precocious son. The scene is marked by casual conversation and social grace, abruptly shattered when the boy’s hidden, violent temper manifests in a frightening assault on his nurse.

The descent into fear Evelyn confronts the terrifying reality of her son’s nature, which she perceives as a monstrous inheritance. She forces Olaf to peel back the layers of his own past, revealing the brutal, lawless environment of his upbringing and the man whose name their son bears.

The temptation of flight Feeling trapped by their situation, both parents reach for easy outlets to escape the looming dread. Evelyn is tempted by the worldly, detached charm of a former lover, while Olaf finds a hollow, temporary refuge in alcohol and social performance.

The moment of reckoning The couple is brought to the brink of despair when Evelyn nearly acts on a suicidal impulse to protect her son from his own future. Finding each other in their misery, they drop the pretenses they have maintained since the incident.

The final pact Having shed their illusions, the parents reach a state of grim resignation. They accept that they cannot undo the past or alter the boy’s blood, choosing instead to bind themselves to the child and the lifelong struggle that lies ahead.

The People

Evelyn Simmons is the emotional heart of the story. Initially defined by her devotion to her husband and her sheltered life, she is forced to confront a reality that threatens her sanity. Her journey is one of profound disillusionment as she realizes that her maternal love must now become a grim, defensive discipline.

Olaf Simmons is a man of "rough" origins who has worked hard to achieve worldly success. He is naturally buoyant and optimistic, which initially serves as a barrier to understanding the gravity of his wife’s despair. Throughout the story, he moves from a state of guilty avoidance and "male" denial to a state of humble, shared responsibility with his wife.

Little Oscar is the pivot point of the narrative. Though only five, he displays a chilling, mature deliberation. He is a boy who oscillates between childish innocence and bursts of violent, inexplicable rage, embodying the "barbarian" inheritance that his parents fear.

Dr. Vessinger serves as a sharp contrast to Olaf. Mundane, sophisticated, and selfish, he represents the world of easy, consequence-free pleasure that Evelyn is tempted by but ultimately rejects in favor of the harder path of family duty.

In Its Own Voice

"He enunciated with great distinctness, with mature deliberation."

The author describes the boy’s terrifying and unnatural composure immediately following his physical attack on the nurse.

"He was drunk; he knew it, and he was happy!"

Olaf’s attempt to escape the crushing anxiety of his son’s behavior leads him into a desperate, hollow state of intoxication.

"The trap that had caught them was set in the obscure past and was made secure."

Evelyn realizes the inescapable nature of the hereditary burden that has ended their youth and changed their marriage forever.

What It's Really About

The book is centrally concerned with the tension between human agency and the inescapable influence of the past. It asks whether individuals can truly outrun their origins or the traits they pass on to their children. Through the lens of the Simmons family, the author examines the fragility of the "civilized" life, suggesting that the darkness of the primitive—whether it be the mining camp violence of Olaf’s upbringing or the boy's own inherent rage—is never truly absent. Ultimately, it is an argument for the necessity of sacrifice; the book posits that the transition into true adulthood is marked by the moment one stops living for individual pleasure and begins to live for the survival and management of one's own descendants.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate psychological realism and the quiet, crushing weight of familial duty will find much to admire here. The narrative is taut and unflinching, refusing to offer the easy redemptions often found in contemporary fiction of the era. It feels remarkably modern in its focus on the "trap" of heredity and the way two people can be united in a shared, profound sorrow even as they drift apart emotionally.

The book is not without its difficulties. The prose reflects the ornate, formal sensibilities of 1903, and the characters’ period attitudes—particularly the romanticization of the "strong" man or the disdain for the "barbarian" life—may feel distant to today's reader. However, the core experience of the book—the terrifying realization that one’s child is a stranger with a dark potential—is timeless. It is a haunting, somber read that lingers because it does not pretend that everything turns out "all right." Instead, it ends on a note of stoic, enduring commitment, leaving the reader with the lingering, uncomfortable question of what we truly owe to those who carry our own blood into a future we cannot control. It is a brief, intense experience that captures the moment youth ends and the long, silent work of life begins.