Korea, John McGahern (SS) Flashcards
Exposition
“the furze pods bursting (…) seemed shocking like the buttons when he started to tear at his tunic (…) it destroyed the day”
A01:
The father is haunted by the memory of the execution of Irish men he witnessed by the British and it resurfaces to destroy a natural image of happiness on his honeymoon.
A02:
sharp plosive ‘t’ sounds of “tear at his tunic” suggest the father is speaking about his past in short harsh syllables as if he wishes to wipe the memory from his mind
shattering verb bursting is violent and warlike IAAI the verb imitates gunfire as he cannot escape the sounds and sights of the day
A03:
The term PTSD was coined 10 years after this story was written and the father’s damage is not yet understood or managed, this is poignant for modern readers who are aware of the condition.
Mid-point
“the smell of shit and piss and the warm fleshy smell of worms crawling”
A01
the son is hiding in the “lavatory” when he overhears his father talking to a neighbour about the sum of money given to the family when a son dies in the Korean War.
A02
the lexical field of decomposition connotes the harsh battlefields of war and the almost “fleshy” smell of decayong bodies the son may have to encounter if he goes to war like his father wants him to
the taboo expletives show the son’s disgust at his father’s mercenary attitude towards his own son (himself)
A03
McGahern may want to explore the desperation that can occur when families are on the brink of poverty and the harsh decisions that often come with that.
Denouement
“I knew this silence was fixed forever”
“as if I too had to prepare myself to murder”
A01
the story ends cyclically with both the father and son in the boat however there is now a large gap between them as their relationship and trust crumbles
A02
The saddening fricatives “fixed forever” suggest a unbridgeable gap is apppearing between father and son, created by the father’s moentary view towards his son, suggesting he go to war hoping he would get the $10,000 in consolation money on his death.
the brutal war imagery of “murder” implies the son, despite refusing to go to war, may change his mind later on in the future, drawing the short story to a more foreboding end.
A03
This is a bleak coming-of-age story modelled on McGahern’s own abusive, tyrannical father figure as the son realises his father’s capacity for cruelty.
