Denne study guide giver dig hjælp til at analysere novellen “Green Velvet” (2019) af Krzysztof Pelc, som var en del af den skriftlige eksamen i Engelsk B på STX den 19. maj 2022. Ud over hjælp til analysen finder du også et summary af teksten samt inspiration til at fortolking.
Symbols
The most important symbol in the story is the green velvet sofa that the narrator’s family finds on the street. From the beginning, the sofa fascinates each member of the family to a certain degree, and which clashes with the lifestyle they have become accustomed to.
For the narrator – and most likely for his younger brother – the green velvet sofa symbolizes their excitement and hope of fitting in into the new Canadian society and culture: “The sofa offered the promise of Western glamour, of a whole other existence” (p. 2, ll. 39-40).
For the narrator’s father, the sofa symbolizes the possibility of change. While he is reluctant at first, he is excited when he finally manages to bring the sofa into the house. The narrator’s mother also has mixed feelings towards the sofa but ends up accepting it. Lastly, for the narrator’s grandmother, the sofa symbolizes her skepticism and reluctance to accept Western values.
Given that the sofa has different meanings for the different members of the family, it also symbolizes the different generations’ attitudes toward their new society and their status as immigrants. While the narrator and his brother are open-minded and eager to embrace Western values, the older generation – represented by their grandmother – wants to preserve the traditions of the past and shies away from novelty. The middle generation – represented by the narrator’s parents – has mixed feelings towards their immigrant status and shifts from excitement to self-doubt and caution.
