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The Problem with Oliver Analysis

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The Problem with Oliver I recently heard a quotation from a pediatrician who was stating: “It is ten times more difficult being a child than an adult, due to the many possibilities and choices you ought to be making”. Now, my own thesis on this is, when you are a teenager, you can multiply the diffuculty by a factor of fifty. A lot of young people find it very strenous taking the last step towards adulthood and their own independence. Especially when you have parents that, unconsciously or not, do not allow you to do so. The main theme in this short-story does also circle about the big leap from, in your adolescence, relying on your parents to, in your adulthood, become an independant individual with the right of …show more content…

“‘You know.’ Please know. ‘Cromwell and all that.”, “‘A bit of Elgar. And ... some Britten.’”, “Orwell’s overriding theme is the individual caught in a hostile social mechanism. Discuss.” These three quotations imply four famous British men. They emphasize that Fionualla is British and is living in the present. Especially Oliver Cromwell is a clear reference to the nostalgia and escapism of Grainne living in denial of British culture, and the fact, that her daughter wants her independance. The Orwell quotation is undoubtly a reference to 1984, and to the “Big Brother”-idea but with a twist: The story is written in 2004, and in these modern times the “Big Mother”-idea is representative. “Big Mother” means parents being overprotective and not trusting their children. For example by installing GPS transmitters in their children’s cellphones, or by installing German anti-cheating programs on their computers. As the story progresses, Grainne realizes, that her relationship with her daughter is stuck. Maggie O’Farrell uses a metaphor describing the hawthorn tree which has caused a lot of exasperation to Fionualla: “The tree is a big bone of contention”. It is spot on. The stubborness and denial of Grainne has actually harmed her daughter e.g. the incident with the leprechaun tree. Grainne is an escapist. Perhaps it is rooted in her background when she was forced to flee abroad. She has a life of idleness with invented fairies and artificial clay

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