All The Years Of Her Life 1r0u47e
All the Years of Her Life
By Morley Callaghan
Setting:
The
setting of this story is not important: it could be anywhere and has no impact whatsoever on the story itself.
However,
certain clues tells us this:
New York City (6th Ave. Elevated) working class area (father is a printer)
1930s-1960s
Sixth Avenue Elevated
S
Third person (limited, intimate) narration
Point of view of Alfred – we are told what he is thinking (intimate) and feeling but not the others
(limited)
Characters:
Alfred, Mr. Carr, Mrs. Higgins
Complication (initiating incident):
Alfred is caught stealing again
External conflict (minor conflict in story)
Man vs. Man:
Alfred vs. Mr. Carr and his mother
Internal Conflict:
The central conflict in the story is within – not the fact that he is confronted by his boss
Man vs. Self
Mrs. Higgins struggling as a mother, trying to do her best despite the problems of her children Alfred struggling to grow into adulthood and feeling guiltly over the pain his mother suffers
Topic and theme
Topic:
Parenting teenagers
Teenagers’ poor decisions
Theme:
Unconditional love for our children
Growing self-awareness as an adult, new respect for parents
Reliance on parental love and sacrifice
Climax – the big shift in tone
‘Be quiet. Don’t speak to me. You’ve disgraced me again and again,’ she said bitterly. ‘That’s the last time. That’s all I’m saying.’ ‘Have the decency to be quiet,’ she snapped. They kept on their way, looking straight ahead.
….’You’re a bad lot. God forgive you…’
The trembling hand:
…at that moment his youth seemed to be over. … It seemed to him that this was the first time he had ever looked upon his mother. Character development
Writers ‘paint a picture’ of characters directly, by telling the reader what they are like, and indirectly, by describing their actions and letting the reader reach his or her own conclusions.
Well developed or ‘round’ characters are portrayed in detail
By Morley Callaghan
Setting:
The
setting of this story is not important: it could be anywhere and has no impact whatsoever on the story itself.
However,
certain clues tells us this:
New York City (6th Ave. Elevated) working class area (father is a printer)
1930s-1960s
Sixth Avenue Elevated
S
Third person (limited, intimate) narration
Point of view of Alfred – we are told what he is thinking (intimate) and feeling but not the others
(limited)
Characters:
Alfred, Mr. Carr, Mrs. Higgins
Complication (initiating incident):
Alfred is caught stealing again
External conflict (minor conflict in story)
Man vs. Man:
Alfred vs. Mr. Carr and his mother
Internal Conflict:
The central conflict in the story is within – not the fact that he is confronted by his boss
Man vs. Self
Mrs. Higgins struggling as a mother, trying to do her best despite the problems of her children Alfred struggling to grow into adulthood and feeling guiltly over the pain his mother suffers
Topic and theme
Topic:
Parenting teenagers
Teenagers’ poor decisions
Theme:
Unconditional love for our children
Growing self-awareness as an adult, new respect for parents
Reliance on parental love and sacrifice
Climax – the big shift in tone
‘Be quiet. Don’t speak to me. You’ve disgraced me again and again,’ she said bitterly. ‘That’s the last time. That’s all I’m saying.’ ‘Have the decency to be quiet,’ she snapped. They kept on their way, looking straight ahead.
….’You’re a bad lot. God forgive you…’
The trembling hand:
…at that moment his youth seemed to be over. … It seemed to him that this was the first time he had ever looked upon his mother. Character development
Writers ‘paint a picture’ of characters directly, by telling the reader what they are like, and indirectly, by describing their actions and letting the reader reach his or her own conclusions.
Well developed or ‘round’ characters are portrayed in detail