How do Nora and Cathleen become sure about Michael's clothes When J M Synge s - play Riders to the Sea begins Maurya s son Michael is missing at sea for nine days The local priest gives Nora and Cathleen a bundle of clothing recovered from Donegal to see whether they are Michael s Nora and Cathleen become sure about Michael s clothes when they carefully examine the bundle of clothing At first Nora and Cathleen are unsure However they notice a pair of stockings in the bundle Nora remembers that she had knitted those stockings herself and had made some mistakes in the stitches She carefully counts the stitches and sees the same mistakes This proves that these are the stockings she made for her brother Michael This discovery also confirms their worst fear Michael is dead Nora sorrowfully says Isn't it a pitiful thing when there is nothing