Analysis

Read here a short presentation of the most important elements of our analysis of “The Chemist’s Assistant” by Moya Roddy.

The short story's structure revolves around Colette, a young girl who has got into the habit of stealing. At first, she is punished by her father because she has stolen money to buy sweets. Then, as she meets the new chemist’s assistant, she befriends him and steals a small item from the shop each Wednesday, when the man is there alone.

The main character in the story is Colette. Through her outer characterisation, readers find out that Colette is a young girl who lives with her sister and parents, and who befriends Mussola, the second character we will focus on in our analysis.

Regarding its setting, the action takes place in 1961 in a small town where black people are rarely seen. The social setting touches upon racism, Colette’s stealing habit, and the issue of Colette’s mother’s health.

In “The Chemist’s Assistant”, the narrator is also the main character, Colette. The text is mostly written in the present tense, which shows that the narrator adopts the perspective of Colette as a child. This choice of using the point of view of a child leads to an accessible and easy to understand language, mirroring a child's vocabulary.

You can find the full analysis of the short story in the next pages!