Short Stories

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Setting

Personification of the Environment:

• The setting is portrayed as having lost any discernible positive character. Personification is used as "the flat-faced shops looked back at them blankly."
• The overall depiction of the tenement and its surroundings is negative, with references to dirt, mice, rats, and drops of perspiration on the ceiling and walls.

Colours and Condition:

• The colours in the setting suggest unpleasant conditions. The walls are described as "brown and a dirty blue," pitted with scars, creating a sense of decay and neglect.
• The description of Mr. Jamieson's face as "bruised a fine Protestant blue" implies that even the physical appearance of the residents reflects the hostility and violence within the community.

Community and Silence:

• The community appears to be silent or complicit in the face of Mr. Jamieson's aggression and domestic abuse against Catholics. There is a sense of passive acceptance, as Mr. Jamieson is described as walking like a victorious gladiator after his attacks.
• The sense of community seems to have eroded as people were relocated to featureless housing estates, contributing to the bleakness of the area.

Interactions and Unity:

• Interactions among the remaining community members are often marked by bickering, but there are moments of unity, particularly when a woman defends a group of children, showing a protective and communal spirit.

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Short Stories

• The boys in the community are described as moving forward in concert, suggesting a sense of coordination and togetherness.

Contrasting Voices:

• The characters in the area have accents and dialects that contrast with the voices of Jackson and his wife. This contrast highlights Jackson's status as a tourist and outsider in the neighbourhood.