Structure

This excerpt of the short story “The River Underground” by Richard Tromans follows a non-chronological structure. It starts by introducing readers to the main character, Husman, and his motivation for coming to London illegally. 

The story then goes back in time, to when Husman was still living in Gambia, using flashbacks to construct his background. One example is the flashback about the conversation he overhears between two white people: 

‘These people, they'll steal anything. You put a gallon of petrol outside in a drum. You come back it's been siphoned half away. You leave your motor scooter out on the street too long and someone unscrews the pedals and walks off with them.’  (p. 42, ll. 29-31)

This example shows the negative perspective and misconceptions of some white people regarding black Africans. Other flashbacks are mainly used to show Husman’s unrealistic, positive perspective on white Londoners. Consequently, the flashbacks help create a contrast between Husman’s perspective on white people and some white people’s perspective on black Africans. 

The story relies heavily...