Andrina by George Mackay Brown

"Andrina" by George Mackay Brown

A short story in which an element of mystery plays an important part

is "Andrina" by George Mackay Brown, a celebrated author from Orkney.

"Andrina" like many of his other works has a spiritual aspect with

common themes such as the cycle of the seasons, betrayal, hope and

regeneration. "Andrina" is set in Orkney, a perfect location for this

tale because of its mystical atmosphere. The haunting, spiritual

atmosphere created through the language Geroge Mackay Brown uses adds

to the overall effect of the story. In the short story an old seaman

receives regular visits from a young lady, Andrina. Then one day she

does not come. The same day the narrator falls ill. He soon recovers

and goes in search of Andrina whom he has missed during his illness.

He can find no one in the village who knows anything about her. This

increases the mystery surrounding her character. It is not until the

end of the story that he discovers that Andrina is the ghost of his

grand-daughter. This news come in a letter which had remained unopened

since his illness. The short story has a very unusual narrative

structure with an embedded narrative surrounded by an outer frame

narrative. The embedded narrative takes us back in time and introduces

us to the sea captains past. He narrates the main body of the story in

past tense. But the exposition, narrative hook and resolution are all

delivered in past tense. This is significant as it represents the

cyclical nature of Mackay Browns work. This may also be significant as

the reader could take it to mean that all throughout the story the old

sea captain knows the ending as the tense change would suggest he

does. The authors use of foreshadowing gives the read...

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...he news which came in the letter allows the old sea

captain to let go of his past and appreciated the physical elements of

his life; "where she was dust, a new time was brightening earth and

sea". This line demonstrates how the old sea captain is letting go of

the troubles which haunt him and the relationship with Andrina. This

is very effective in giving resolution both to the old seaman and the

reader. The short story has a suitably ambiguous ending as we do not

know if Andrina's presence was real or merely a figment of the lonely

captains imagination. Nevertheless she certainly brightened up his

winter.

In conclusion, the development of the mystery surrounding Andrina in

the narrative creates suspense and makes Mackay Brown's short story

extremely satisfying. He successfully maintains a ghostly and

mysterious atmosphere in this unnerving short story.