Throughout Long Island, Eilis, the protagonist and one of three point-of-view characters, struggles with what to do after the revelation of her husband’s infidelity. While she makes the short-term decision to return to Enniscorthy, her long-term plan is unclear. She does believe that she wants to leave Tony, especially if his family takes in the baby, but she struggles to decide definitively, knowing that her leaving will have a negative impact on her relationship with her children. For much of the novel, she hopes for a return to her life in Long Island—a life that, on the surface, appears happy and fulfilling: “She wondered if she would ever have all this back again. She found herself wishing that a letter would come from Tony or his mother of Frank to say that they had begun to see things from her point of view” (82). In Long Island, Eilis has everything she once thought she wanted—material abundance, safety, and close and loving family. The problem is that within this family, her individual needs are not respected.

When she learns that Tony’s family has accepted the baby, she becomes decisive, firmly deciding to leave Tony, although she still plans to remain close to her children.