Analysis

An analysis of Fiona Barr’s short story “The Wall-Reader” shows that it follows a chronological plot structure. The story revolves around a decision made by the main character that will ultimately change her and her family’s lives.

The main character is Mary, a middle-class Irishwoman with an idealistic way of thinking. The connection she builds with an English soldier highlights her innocence and need to escape her life and puts her family in danger.

The setting of the story is Belfast, Northern Ireland in the time of the Troubles. The physical and time setting heavily influence the events. The park is an important element of the physical setting and reflects the reality of those times.

The story is told from the point of view of a third-person narrator. For the most part, the narrator follows Mary’s perspective, except from the section at the end, where the narrator becomes omniscient.

The language of the story is formal. Descriptions are used to build atmosphere and highlight the underlying tension present in the story. Symbols such as the graffiti on the walls, offer a clearer insight into those times, as well as into the mind of the main character.

You can read a more detailed analysis in the following pages.

Excerpt

Below, you can read an excerpt from our study guide:

The park is a significant element of the physical setting, as it is the meeting place between Mary and the English soldier. Just like the rest of the city, the park is also in disarray and neglected:

The park is ugly, stark and hostile. Even in summer, when courting couples seek out secluded parks like mating cats, they reject Musgrave. There are few trees, clustered together, standing like skeletons, ashamed of their nakedness. The rest is grass, a green wasteland speckled with puddles of gulls squawking over a worm patch.