Brooklyn Flashcards
Nettles Kelly implies that their mother will be q great burden on rose when eilis leaves
“That’s the end for her isn’t it? She’ll be looking after your mother for the rest of her life “
Rose has been a generous sister, buying eilis clothes. Clothes are a symbol of status and wealth
“That’s one of the reasons I’m going, because I can’t buy my own”
When a less well off customer complains that she was next, Miss Kelly dismisses her
“And you still are”
The customer asks for shoe polish and ms Kelly humiliates her
“That’s not really a Sunday item, now, is it? Why couldn’t you have remembered yesterday? Because it looks like you needed it yesterday”
Rose laments that she cannot buy eilis the kind of life she needs
“I can’t buy you a future”
On arrival in New York, it’s clear eilis has swapped her working class lifestyle for another. She lives at a boarding house and works in a fancy department store. She explains to Nancy
“Sells lovely things. But I can’t afford many of them”
She studies part time at a night school, paid for by FR.Flood but she pays him back with her earnings. She’s doing well for herself
“Qualifications and a boyfriend, eilis. You’re not the miserable young girl who wanted to go home last winter”
Tony provides us with a insight into American working class families, he hopes to set yo a business with his brothers
“A building company, the three of us, and I’m gonna do the plumbing”
Frankie helps write a letter to eilis
He is a part of a generation who will finish school. American society offers people to move social class
“Only one of us who’ll get a college education”
Eilis’ life in America is secured for her by Fr.flood before she even gets there. He is a man that plays a large part in her life in America. He comforts her when she’s homesick and pays for her to go to night school
“Homesickness is like most sickness. It will make you feel wretched and then it will move onto somebody else”
The Catholic Church had the power to secure work and housing for Irish people. Her accommodation and job was organised by Fr.Flood
“When your sister wrote to me about you, I said that the church would try to help”
Ms.Kehoe takes religion seriously. All girls said grace before dinner. Although she’s not too strict about faith. She playfully tells the girls at the table
“Ladies. No more talk about our lords complexion at dinner please”
When she returns back to Ireland, her Moyer is hopeful for her to marry Jim Farrell
She is quick to highlight him will soon …
“Be in that big house on his own”
The wedding day is heavy with suggestion for eilis. A neighbour tells eilis excitedly
“Oh, do you hear that? “Jim and I! Jim and I!” Of it won’t be long now by the sound of it, and your mother will have a wonderful day out”
Nancy tells eilis that Jim broke up with his fiancé because
“He didn’t think she was serious about him”
Jim doesn’t want eilis to go back to Brooklyn..
“And that means asking you another question but I don’t want to bombard you”
Eilis is cautious to marry Tony
“Would a promise nor be the same?”
Her marriage is what draws eilis back to America. She has new status and confidence
“My name is Eilis Fiorello”
Eilis asks Sheila why she is not married. Her husband left her for another woman. She says she’d love to get married again and that’s why she goes to the Saturday dances. She doesn’t want to live in the boarding house forger and wants her own house
“I want to be waiting outside my own bathroom while some bad tempered fella with hair growing out of his ears is reading the newspaper on the toilet”
On the ferry eilis meets Georgina, an opinionated and independent woman. She stuns eilis telling her
It was a mistake “coming from from America in the first place “
Georgina leaves eilis telling her…
Her confidence shows how Leaving Ireland can change a persons confidence. Women in America and women in Ireland were living in very different cultural contexts . Eilis found herself with more freedom in America
“See you later. Unless I find a nice man in First to smoke with”
Tony Fiorello is gentle. He is respectful and candid from the beginning
“I want everything to be out in the open. I came to the Irish dance because I really like Irish girls”
Tony is romantic and sentimental. He’s polite
“Can I travel home with you? I know you have to study and get some sleep, I’ll take you to your house and then say goodnight. Otherwise it’s too long to wait”
Male manager in Davis’ says
“As I say, let’s you and I speak again before we make any firm decisions one way or another”
