martyn pig
Write about the ways in which the character of
Billy Pig is presented in the novel
(30 Marks)
Brook’s presents Billy Pig through the eyes of Martyn as half the man he should be: “Fat little belly, florid skin, yellowed eyes, sagging cheeks and a big fat neck.” The oxymoron of ‘fat little’ suggests that even though Billy Pig may be large physically, he is degraded in size by the adjective ‘little’ – reflecting his cowardly ways. Similarly, the adjective ‘yellowed’ has the connotations of being a coward. This suggests that Billy Pig wasn’t stepping up to his fatherly duties but decided to drown his sorrows with alcohol instead. Billy Pig is presented as a man who allows his young teenage son to care for him while he fails to treat his alcoholism: “He still didn’t wake up. That’s why I took a first aid course at school. So I could tell whether her was dead or dead drunk.” The simple sentence ‘he still didn’t wake up’ suggests that Billy could be seen as a lazy teenager who doesn’t want to wake up although, its Martyn who’s the teenager yet has to wake up and take care of his drunken father. The repetition of the adjective ‘dead’ and alliteration of ‘dead drunk’ symbolises the likelihood of Billy getting drunk again and Martyn having to take on the parent role in their relationship once again.
Billy Pig is presented as a horrible man with disgusting habits: “He leaned over the sink, coughed, spat and flicked ash down the plughole.” The list of three emphasises Billy’s repulsive behaviour. Furthermore, the noun ‘spat’ reveals the disgusting tendencies that Martyn’s father has to disrespect his own house and family. ‘Spat’ could also have the connotations of an argument which are extremely familiar between Martyn and Billy, usually due to Billy’s alcoholism and his bullying characteristics. Moreover, the use of the verb ‘coughed’ reveals that Billy is unwell due to his repetitive drinking and smoking yet he doesn’t let this faze him when he ‘flicks ash
Billy Pig is presented in the novel
(30 Marks)
Brook’s presents Billy Pig through the eyes of Martyn as half the man he should be: “Fat little belly, florid skin, yellowed eyes, sagging cheeks and a big fat neck.” The oxymoron of ‘fat little’ suggests that even though Billy Pig may be large physically, he is degraded in size by the adjective ‘little’ – reflecting his cowardly ways. Similarly, the adjective ‘yellowed’ has the connotations of being a coward. This suggests that Billy Pig wasn’t stepping up to his fatherly duties but decided to drown his sorrows with alcohol instead. Billy Pig is presented as a man who allows his young teenage son to care for him while he fails to treat his alcoholism: “He still didn’t wake up. That’s why I took a first aid course at school. So I could tell whether her was dead or dead drunk.” The simple sentence ‘he still didn’t wake up’ suggests that Billy could be seen as a lazy teenager who doesn’t want to wake up although, its Martyn who’s the teenager yet has to wake up and take care of his drunken father. The repetition of the adjective ‘dead’ and alliteration of ‘dead drunk’ symbolises the likelihood of Billy getting drunk again and Martyn having to take on the parent role in their relationship once again.
Billy Pig is presented as a horrible man with disgusting habits: “He leaned over the sink, coughed, spat and flicked ash down the plughole.” The list of three emphasises Billy’s repulsive behaviour. Furthermore, the noun ‘spat’ reveals the disgusting tendencies that Martyn’s father has to disrespect his own house and family. ‘Spat’ could also have the connotations of an argument which are extremely familiar between Martyn and Billy, usually due to Billy’s alcoholism and his bullying characteristics. Moreover, the use of the verb ‘coughed’ reveals that Billy is unwell due to his repetitive drinking and smoking yet he doesn’t let this faze him when he ‘flicks ash