Anna Hope’s short story “A gap of sky” is about a young girl named Ellie. She is flowing in between expectations and desires. The story is a portrait of what drugs can do to a person, told through the description of what the city looks like, and Ellie’s own thoughts. Without the support and care of other people, humans will prioritize certain things before others; this story is a good example of such.
The narrator of this story is all knowing, third person. In this story, the narrating style creates confusion since the reader is told everything Ellie experiences, and in this story her mind is clouded by drugs, a lot of the time.
Ellie is a young student, living in London. Recently she have had a lot of pressure on her shoulders because her parents made her take a course at the UCL, which she is about to throw away, if she doesn’t hand in an essay about Virginia Woolf. The only problem is that she wakes up Monday at half past four in the afternoon, only to realize that the essay which she has to do, and have not yet started, is due for Tuesday at nine!
Ellie’s thoughts are out of order, and her actions hectic. The alcohol from the night before, combined with the drugs she took, has left her unfocused and slightly confused. Ellie’s printer runs out of ink, and she has to go the city, to get more, even though she knows the shops will be closing soon.
She is far from sober, since the city is a jungle of distractions for her. She does have mission though, getting the ink, so she can complete her homework. She moves through the streets beside other Londoners with this mission, doing so, makes her glad, like her life matters.
On her way, she comes across an iron railing, where someone has left a glove, with its middle finger sticking up, like its flipping people off. Seeing this Ellie’s rebellious side is awakened.
She thinks for herself that she is not accountable to anyone, she is young, and live in London, and she can do whatever she wants to,