Themes and message

Conventional lifestyle

In “Eastmouth”, life in a small town is explored by Alison Moore from two opposite worldviews – Sonia’s and the locals’. The locals’ worldview is mostly conveyed through Peter’s and his parents’ behaviour and their attitude towards Eastmouth.

Peter is very attached to his parents –he visits often (ll. 8-9), and he wears the key to his house around his neck (l. 29). Most notably, he finds it comforting that Eastmouth never changes: “He is beaming, cheerful when he says, ‘Nothing changes’ ” (l. 28). For Peter, Eastmouth is as good as Las Vegas (l. 121), while for his parents it is even better, since they prefer the colder English climate (ll. 40-41). This is why both Peter and his parents consider Eastmouth the perfect town to settle in and try to convince Sonia that she should stay there.

Other locals immediately seem to “adopt” Sonia as a Webster, hinting at another specific element of small towns – a lack of privacy derived from the fac...