What is the Author called?
Elizabeth Paines
What was her inspiration?
Walking through the welsh hills and saw a father and son camping.
What is the plot
An eight year old boy and father go on a camping trip. The story shows a limited, third person narration of the dynamics of their relationship after the parent split.
What does the mother call the expedition?What is the name of the mother boyfriend?
‘Mad’Jim
What shows that the boy is constantly trying to impress his farther?What shows that he want to be like dad?
“The boy put his concentration into keeping abreast”The essence of dadness’
How long has the boy not seen his dad since the break up?
4 months
What are the two symbols within the short story?
Torch and tent
What does the tent depict?What does the torch depict?
It suggests manhood ‘A tent to weather all conditions in which he and his father will be two men’It also suggests manhood ‘to carry carelessly but with meaning’It also suggests hope of both the farther and son finding each other
What are the three occasion that an omniscient narration is shown?
When the farther can see the innocence and want for his farther to be what his expectations show.
‘seared by the glitter of anxiety in his little boy’s face’The hopelessness of his son’ ‘The man notices this, and it makes his chest twist’The realisation that he has lost his son ‘ the aching certainty that already, one year on from the separation he has lost his son’
What is a metaphor within the text?
‘Ancient rocks glint like heaving carcasses asleep’
What do both man and son ignore? What is the affirmation of this?
Nature, Both ponies and horses’too focused on their goal to stop and gaze at the still black mirror of lake , man and boy have crossed the tract of land and are gone’
What does the boy realise?
The boy is uncertain of his farther and his expectations throughout are not panning out as thought, therefore causing him to create excuses for his fathers gesture and emotion.