Themes and message

Coming of age

The short story “The Quiet One” by Stephen Gibbin explores the theme of growing up and coming of age. 

This is mainly explored by looking at young teenagers’ first romantic or sexual experiences. For example, in the beginning of the story Liam is thinking about his brother Kyle and his first sexual experience with an older girl: 

He’d already been with a girl. When he was 10. It was on a visit to their cousins. She’d shagged him at the park. At least, he thinks she did. She was thirteen and had let him put it into her knickers for a quarter of chewy nuts and a can of Iron Bru and Kyle wasn’t sure if that counted and Liam wasn’t too sure either. 

This story highlights Liam’s innocence and inexperience when it comes to romance and sex. At the same time, the story shows that in the environment Liam and Kyle are growing up in, children are growing up too soon. This is also shown by the fact that they leave school early or by Liam’s admission that he sometimes does drugs: “ ‘Blow?’ He brushed a hand against the back of his trousers. ‘A bit.’ ”.

This theme is also explored through Liam’s interaction with Courtney. Though he is not attracted to Courtney at first, Liam’s attitude changes after she tells him he is cute and challenges him to kiss her. Liam is nervous about this as he is inexperienced: 

Liam swallowed hard. Courtney was fit. Well fit. But he’d only kis...