Language

The choice of words in “Smile” by Roddy Doyle is related to school life and sexual orientation. The use of colloquial phrases and Irish dialect gives the story and the characters the local colour, and makes their teenage dialogue feel more realistic: “My mates were with me: all men were fuckin’ eejits.” (l. 4)

Most of the story is conveyed in the narrative mode—the narrator is recounting events from the past. Descriptions and dialogue are occasionally used to convey the school environment.

Similes and metaphors

Three similes stand out in the text. The first one, “a jaw like Desperate Dan’s” (l. 7) compares Brother Murphy with a wild-west character in a British comic magazine and helps suggest that he looks both violent and comic at the same time.

The second simile—“It was like a line from a film” (l. 19)—refers to Brother Murphy’s statement about being unable to resist the narrator’s smile.

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Repetitions

Repetitions are used on several occasions to convey the way children speak or interact with teachers. For example, the children always call Murphy ‘Brother’ which was supposed to be a sign of respect for the teacher:

– Go on, Brother.
– Please, Brother.
– We’ll pray for you on Sunday, Brother.
– S’il vous plaît, Brother. (ll. 24-27)

Then, the children repeat the word ‘queer’, which is an offensive term for someone who is gay.

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Symbols

The most important symbols in the short story are the school, the Blessed Virgin statue, and the female teacher.

The school - which is described as being like a maze (l. 36) - is symbolic of initiation rituals and rites of passage. New to the school, the narrator needs to learn his way around the buildings as he needs to learn his away around other students or teachers.

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