Themes and message

Bernie McGill's “No Angel” uses supernatural elements to explore themes like death, reconciliation with the past, and versions of reality. The story is set in the context of the tensions in Northern Ireland between Catholics and Protestants, and shows the dramatic implications this conflict had for Irish families like that of Annie, the narrator. The author’s message is that the conflict in Northern Ireland has left deeps scars in society even if these may not be as obvious in modern society (illustrated by Annie’s relationship with Thomas).…

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Death

The theme of death is obvious from the first lines of the story which announce the narrator is seeing her dead father. In the story, Annie (the narrator) is the only surviving family member of an Irish family. Her brother was killed when he was 17, a casualty of the conflict in Northern Ireland. Only six months afterwards, her mother died because of the sadness caused by her son’s d…

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Reconciliation with the past

The theme of reconciliation with the past is explored through the main characters and their backstory. Annie’s brother was killed when he was young, her mother died shortly afterwards, and her father dies twenty years later.

Because the death of Annie’s brother was violent and …

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Version of reality

Because the story features supernatural elements (dead people who appear and talk to the living), the narrative also explores the theme of versions of reality. The story presents readers with another version of reality, in which death…

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