Answer:
The novel is saying that blame seems necessary to most people in the face of tragedy. Billy Ansel refuses to assign blame, and he is the one most damaged by the accident. Dolores takes responsibility for the accident and is willing and even eager to accept blame for the deaths of the children, which is shown by her staying away from everyone and not taking part in the lawsuit. Mitchell has to blame someone, and he is eager—even excited—to do so. He is in the business of blame, yet in his own life he cannot face blame at all. Blame helps the characters in some ways and hurts them in others. Taking the blame helps Dolores move on, but it makes her miserable too. Billy might be better off if he could assign some blame, and Stephens should blame his daughter for her predicament, but he has no use for blame outside of his case. The author is saying that blame comes with tragedy and cannot be separated from it. But it can be swallowed or used for healing.
Explanation:
