The Other Couple

Her får du hjælp til at analysere novellen “The Other Couple” (2018) af Sandra Marslund, som blev anvendt ved den skriftlige eksamen i Engelsk A på STX den 2. december 2020. Ud over hjælp til analysen finder du også et summary og inputs til fortolkningen.

Hvis du har brug for hjælp til Assignment 1-3 fra skriftlig eksamen på STX A den 2. december 2020, kan du finde vores vejledning her.

Uddrag

Her kan du læse et uddrag af vores study guide:

Relationship issues

The short story focuses on relationship issues by presenting the conflict between the narrator and her partner.

The narrator’s miscarriage shows that the narrator and her partner are not a good match, at least not in a crisis like a miscarriage. While the narrator is passive and allows her partner to take the lead, she also resents her partner’s attitude. The narrator’s partner also appears to disregard her wishes and impose his own will on her. The two of them always end up doing what he wants, instead of what the narrator wants. For instance, they go on a hike, even though she wants to remain in the cove (ll. 17-26), and then to the pub even though she is unwilling (ll. 30-31). All this illustrates their communication problems and their currently unbalanced relationship.

The narrator’s fears about her future, with no heritage and no real connection with her partner, are represented by “the other couple”. The title of the story, therefore, illustrates the narrator’s awareness that her relationship is unhappy. She projects her own fears about her relationship and its future on the imaginary old couple, who are a representation of herself and her partner. From this perspective, it is worth noting that the old couple never seem to engage in gestures of affection, or even in conversation with each other. They appear disconnected from each other and distant. This shows the narrator’s fear that she and her partner will become like strangers over time.