Characterisation of the narrator
Outer characterisation
The first-person narrator of “Loose Change” by Andrea Levy is a woman who lives in London (p. 1, l. 1). She is a third-generation immigrant as her grandmother came to the UK from the Caribbean (p. 5, l. 3). The narrator is also “a single mother with a nine-year-old” (p. 4, ll. 30-31).
The description of her house suggests that she belongs to the middle-class. She mentions a spare bedroom, china, and white linen. Also, she appears to be quite knowledgeable about art when she is in the Portrait Gallery.
Inner characterisation
The narrator describes herself as a typical Londoner, namely as an unsociable person: “I AM NOT IN the habit of making friends of strangers. I'm a Londoner. Not even little grey-haired old ladies passing comment on the weather can shame a response from me.” (p. 1, ll. 1-3) This first impression of her is confirming in the ending when she abandons Laylor.
However, she h...