Themes and message

Not fitting in

The theme of not fitting in is explored throughout the story. The protagonist, a man named Douglas, does not fit in the suburbs where he lives. This is conveyed through his negative description of the people in the suburbs and of their monotonous lives.

However, Douglas seems to have experienced a lack of a sense of belonging since his childhood. He describes in detail how his parents fought all the time or ignored him. This led to him losing trust in his parents and feeling more attached to objects than to people.

Feeling like an outsider seems to have lasted into Douglas’ adult years. He feels abandoned by his friends who moved to the city, and he feels unaccomplished and unambitious. He also avoided moving to London because of his childhood fears, as two events led him to believe that London is a dangerous place.

As an adult, Douglas has not changed his opinion on London. However, he meets a woman named Michelle in London and likes her despite the fact that she represents everything he hates about the city.

He decides to pursue a relationship with Michelle, but this proves difficult for several reasons. Because he does not understand how Michelle can appreciate the city, he takes it upon himself to convince her that London is, in fact, a violent place. This makes her become distant, but Douglas insists on pursuing a relationship with her, as he becomes convinced she is hi...