Question 2 (i)
What impressions do you form of the character of David?
David is a troubled man, husband and father even though outwardly he appears to be a caring father and an ordinary enough husband. He does have the affection to care enough for his son and his wife. He is not intimate with his son because he is by nature quite an assertive person and as a father, he must have been quite a disciplinarian to his children and Paul, is no exception. He seems to have some problems with his wife, however. Both the husband and the wife have something in mind which they would rather not verbalize and have chosen to suppress, perhaps to avoid a total falling out with each other.
In this text, David clearly exhibits tough love. He loves his son but is rather strict with him. David is concerned for Paul and is “thankful” that he is all right. David cares a lot for Paul as can be seen from the spontaneously “powerful and wordless” hug he gives to Paul. Norah’s drawing of a deep breath suggests that she is extremely relieved that David does what he does to Paul. This seems to hint that at any other time, perhaps David may not have shown Paul that sort of concern or affection because Norah has quite definitely been worried as to how David may have reacted when he sees Paul at the police station as their son has committed a car theft.
David does not contradict what the police officer has said about Paul to them and he clearly uses Paul's retention by the police to attempt to clam down on Paul. We may also say that hee obviously takes his responsibility as a guardian seriously and the no-nonsense tone of voice he has adopted and the harsh terms and conditions meted out to his son when talking to Paul suggests that he is clearly quite prepared to make Paul pay for his offence. Paul does not interrupt David and Norah does not contradict him. David does assert his paternal authority over Paul.
David is in a position to assert his moral authority on Paul and here he sounds as though he is threatening to sanction Paul for his mistakes. Indeed, Norah is reduced to being a silent watcher and she is only desperately hoping that the two men would contain their argument and would not allow it to escalate. David is obviously quite adept in dealing with Paul’s disobedience and refusal to comply with his wishes.
David obviously has the situation under his control and he also has Norah on his side as far as Paul is concerned, even though he and Norah may differ in the way they manage or parent Paul. There is a hint here that Norah’s loss of one of her children previously has something to do with David because her remarks seem to have taunted him. David obviously shares a mutual sad and unforgettable past with his wife. I know this because David drops his fight with Norah on how to manage Paul and walks away from the scene after Norah matter-of-factly reminds him that she “has lost a child and does not wish to lose another”. He seems to understand what Norah is suggesting and he must have feel strongly that he is responsible for her loss. He is apologetic and feels that he cannot ask for anything more than Norah is prepared to offer him here. If Norah so wishes that he should wash his hands off Paul, than he has to defer to her wishes because of the wrong he has done to her and Paul previously.
Question 2 (ii)
How does the writer vividly convey the tension that exists in the relationship between Paul and his parents?
Edwards plants the meeting of the three main characters in the ominous setting of a police station. Tension sets in right from the start when Edwards informs us that both Norah and Paul “sit in silence” as if they are waiting for something ominous to happen and they need all the energy they have to deal with what is going to befall them. Both parents, David and Norah are there for their son, Paul, whose hands are “trembling” because he has run into trouble with the law for “stealing his neighbours, the Bolands’ car”.
Although the narration is written in the third person point of view whereby there is an implied narrator who is outside the text but who appears to have knowledge of the events and the characters in the story, Edwards creates a strong sense of uneasiness in Norah, the woman caught in the middle of two man, one older and phlegmatic and the other who is younger and emotional. The tension is created through the inner struggles of this woman. For instance, Norah does not know what to expect when David is “striding across the terrazzo floor” - suggesting a confident and purposeful gait adopted by a strong personality, towards her and Paul. According to the narrator, Norah cannot read David’s expression which is “serious and impassive”. The tension is also reinforced by the fact that “Paul tenses beside her” at the approach of David. The suspenseful moment is only allowed to lapse when Edwards unexpectedly makes David “walk straight to Paul and grab him in a powerful, wordless hug” and say, “You’re safe, thank God.”
Tension is being built up and heightened when David issues an ultimatum on Paul to take stock of what he has done. Edwards creates a strict father figure in David – one who warns him of the price he has to pay for his mistakes and issues corrective actions so that his son would learn his lesson. Paul’s acting tough and naivete is in stark contrast to David’s sense of social justice when Edwards makes the father fire the following line at Paul: “What you can’t do is steal a car from our neighbours and expect life to go on as usual.”
Edwards builds the tension in the crossfire between the father and the son in Norah. Norah and she alone sees “the muscle move in David’s jaw” and feels “the tension of her son beside her”. She keenly feels the conflict between the two man and yet she has to suppress her plea for appeasement and can only hope for the best. Her anxiety is further heightened when David does not hesitate to call Paul’s bluff when he answers his son “coolly” that he is willing “to arrange” for Paul to stay in jail. When the fiery verbal exchange comes to a head with Paul cursing his father that he wishes him “dead”, Edwards forces Norah to unconsciously deal with a “slap across his face” because who she has been holding herself very still, and feeling the words like shards of ice, a harsh, bright, piercing grief.” Edwards makes the mother feels the convergence of hurt and pain as she witnesses the verbal duel being played out by her husband on the one hand and her son on the other. Edwards compels her to do the thing she least expects herself to do although she feels that she has to do something to stop the disrespectful and disobedient Paul. However almost immediately, Edwards makes Norah regret her punitive act because of her sudden realization that “the stubble of Paul’s new beard is rough against her palm – he is a man, no longer a boy, and she has hit him hard”.
Edwards creates a stark difference between how Norah feels for Paul and how David feels for him. Although there is no clash between maternal and paternal instincts, there is an obvious undercurrent which creates a great deal of inner struggle in Norah. Although David seems to savour the opportunity for having Paul locked up because “a night in jail might do him good”, Norah clearly prefers David to stop being difficult in the public domain of the police station and would rather have both the father and son “settle their score at home”.
Edwards spins a very big suspense when she has Norah obviously reminding David of a past shared miserable experience that “she has lost one child and she will not lose another.” The tension is caused by the fact that Norah, being the weakest of the three characters, has ironically springs the biggest surprise threat on David. In her own ways, she demands that David let the matter regarding Paul rest because she knows just how to deal with Paul. According to Edwards, third person narrator, “David looks stunned” by Norah’s intervention for it is as though “she has slapped him too”. Edwards allows the issue to remain unresolved which suggests that there is some kind of mutual discontentment and disagreement between David and Norah which goes beyond Paul. Although David is obviously displeased and taken aback by Norah’s intervention, he seems very hurt and guilty with regard to Norah’s remarks. Edwards makes David apologise to Norah by having him replying to Norah that “maybe Norah is right to pay no attention to him because he is sorry for the things he has done to fail both his wife and his son.” This is suspenseful because Edwards keeps me guessing at what exactly has David done to both Norah and Paul in the past which sends David packing at the end of the extract. Apparently, Edwards intends to keep this a private matter between the couple because even Paul does not know what is going on between his father and his mother. It seems that Norah has a lot of pain in which she has chosen to suppress and if there should be suffering, she has chosen to stomach it all by herself. As far as Paul is concerned, he knows precious little about what is going on between his parents. Edwards creates a gulf between David and Paul when she shows us Paul's uneasiness with his father. The unequal relationship also adds on to the tension between them. Norah is torn between Paul and David. Although Paul does not seem to be taking advantage of his mother's protection and indulgence, his show of defiance against David stems mainly from the fact that Norah is present and stands between them and perhaps he is counting on his mother to come to his side to defend him if David attempts to come down to hard on him. Both parents love Paul but their approach in reaching out to correcting Paul is different. Paul does not seem to understand both David and Norah even though he appears to be closer to Norah.
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