Discuss how Andrea Levy explores what Gilbert and Hortense’s expectations, as British colonial subjects, are of England and how these differ from ...
analytical Essay
2100 words
As a colonial subject of England on the island of Jamaica, Hortense has high expectations when she reaches England, along with 490 other passengers, on the Windrush of 1948. She is expecting high standards of education, language, lifestyle, an abundance of job opportunities, and a family. However, she is heavily disappointed as she realizes the reality of England does not compare to her expectations. Gilbert, one of the first Jamaicans to arrive to serve the Mother Country, is also discontented with his experiences in England. In Small Island, Andrea Levy (whose parents travelled to England on the Windrush), explores and compares the expectations versus the reality of migrating to England.
The first realization of the reality occurs at the beginning of the novel, as Hortense arrives at the house. From her conversations with Celia Langley, she is expecting a ‘big house with a bell’, with a bell that ‘ding-a-ling’s when pressed. However, upon arrival, she is greeted with a large, ‘shabby’ house. However, she is reluctant to admit its shabbiness, insisting it is a ‘grand sort of’ shabby, reflecting her disinclination to believe England is not what she expected. Her negative impression of her abode is emphasized when she asks Gilbert to ‘show me the rest’, and he responds ‘this is it’. In addition, the repetition of ‘just this’ clearly expresses Hortense’s disappointment, whilst highlighting her disbelief.
Hortense’s expectation of her lifestyle was also drastically different to the harsh reality. She expects ‘a dining table in a dining room set with four chairs. A starched tablecloth embroidered with bows. Armchairs placed around the sitting room placed around a small fire.’ Her expectations of the dining table suggests her ...
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...use of the swear word highlights to the reader Hortense and Gilbert’s overall disappointment with their reality, as compared to the fantasies they had dreamed of before.
Andrea Levy uses various structural techniques such as the nonlinear plot structure and four narrators to explore the difference between Hortense and Gilbert’s expectations of England the reality. The four narrators offer various insights into the story, as Hortense and Gilbert react differently to their experience, while Bernard and Queenie suggest the opinions of those who welcomed (or as the nonlinear plot structure emphasizes to the reader the change Hortense and Gilbert experience. Discuss how Andrea Levy explores what Gilbert and Hortense’s expectations, as British colonial subjects, are of England and how these differ from the reality they experience during the Second World War and in 1948.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how hortense, a colonial subject of england on the island of jamaica, expects high standards of education, language, lifestyle, and an abundance of job opportunities. gilbert, one of the first jamaicans to serve the mother country, is also discontent with his experiences in england.
- Analyzes how hortense's first realization of reality occurs at the beginning of the novel, when she arrives at a large, ‘shabby’ house, reflecting her disinclination to believe england is not what she expected.
- Analyzes how hortense's expectation of her lifestyle was drastically different from the harsh reality. she expects a stereotypical, conventional ‘ideal’ british family, with married couple and two children.
- Analyzes how andrea levy uses nonlinear plot structure to highlight the contrast between hortense and gilbert's expectations and the reality of their experiences.
- Analyzes how hortense and gilbert were familiar with the cold weather conditions, but they had a romanticized picture of english winters.
- Analyzes how levy employs imagery to illustrate england's supposed beauty, likening falling, golden leaves to the shower of prosperity that they believe will befall them if they accompany gilbert to england.
- Analyzes how gilbert set off to england to become a pilot for the british royal air force in the second world war. he had high hopes for himself and his career.
- Analyzes how hortense's resiliency and courage is shown when she interviews for a teaching job at the school in england.
- Analyzes how hortense was shocked by the language barrier between her and the locals in jamaica.
- Analyzes how hortense and gilbert are well educated about england, as gilbert knows of the various place names in england. their lack of knowledge and awareness of jamaica leaves gilbert wondering
- Analyzes how the personification of england as 'mother' gives the jamaicans the impression she is warm and welcoming.
- Analyzes how hortense's expectations of the level of education in jamaica were high, and that miss morgan was not an englishwoman as the other teachers were.
- Compares hortense and gilbert's expectation of acceptance of england to them, their colonial subjects, but they suffer from racial segregation and discrimination.
- Analyzes how the metaphor andrea levy includes in the novel illustrates hortense and gilbert's disappointment with their reality.
- Analyzes how andrea levy uses various structural techniques such as the nonlinear plot structure and four narrators to explore the difference between hortense and gilbert's expectations of england the reality.
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