I Spy

Her får du hjælp til analyse af novellen “I Spy” af Graham Greene. Teksten findes i lærebogen Worlds of English (s. 40). Her finder du ud over hjælp til analysen også et summary smt hjælp til tema og perspektivering.

Graham Greene (1904-1991) var en engelsk forfatter, som betragtes som én af de største i det 20. århundrede. Hans litterære værker fokuserer hovedsageligt på at skildre personernes indre karakteristika fra deres mentalitet til åndelige værdier. Mange af hans værker har en fremherskende katolsk indflydelse. Novellen “I Spy” er fra 1930.

Uddrag

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Symbols

The darkness is an important symbol in the story. It symbolizes danger and illegal activities. Both Charlie’s theft and his father’s arrest happen at night. The shop is very dark when Charlie enters, and he is too afraid to turn on the light (p. 41, l. 12-13). Charlie cowering in the darkness (p. 41, l. 20), and his father “doing things in the dark” (p. 41, l. 27) suggests they are both involved in criminal activities.

The searchlight which occasionally breaks the darkness is a symbol of the truth coming to light, such as, for instance, the discovery of his father’s crimes by the police. The family is also kept in the dark regarding his activities, but soon they will be brought to light. Ironically, it is the searchlight which gives Charlie the opportunity to steal and then hide, as he uses it to “fix in memory the pile of cigarettes, the counter, and the small hole under it.” (p. 41, ll. 15-16)