sailmaker theme quotes Flashcards
FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS: “Ma da’s a sailmaker”
Alec, in act 1 , is very proud of his dad’s trade and admires him. The short, proud statement shows that Alec holds his dad in high regard, as if it were and obvious fact. The fact that he uses his dad’s ficial job title also shows that holds his dad in high regad.
FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS: “Think ah came fae another planet”
In Act 2, Alec becomes educated and middle class, and becomes more frustrated and drifts away from his dad. During an argument, Davie recognises how distanced he has become from his son due to their difference in social class.
FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS: “You’ve been drinking. Ah can smell it.”
At the end of Act 2, Davie’s alcohol addiction
worsens. When he comes home drunk, Alec is frustrated with his excuses. This shous hou Davie has let alcohol come between them, showing how much they have drifted apart, leading to the final breakdown between the two.
POVERTY: “Electricity got cut off son. Couldnae pay the bill.”
Davie has been made redundant and can no longer afford for them to stay in the house. They only have a roof over their heads and little else as there is no money for food, electricity, or heating.
POVERTY: “take this line to the bookie”
Davie turns to gambling in hope of winning some money. He uses these bad habits as a way of escaping his current situation, but they only make things worse and lead to further problems.
POVERTY: “There must be some auld stuff in the glory hole we can burn”
Due to Davie’s gambling habits, he has no money to pay the bills so has to burn the contents of the Gloryhole in order to stay warm.
GRIEF: “I was standing there crying real big deep sobs.”
At this point in the play, Alec is presented as a child like boy and struggles to cope with traumatic experience. He openly expresses his feelings unlike Davie who keeps them hidden in attempts to put on a brief face when talking to Alec.
GRIEF: “As long as he keep moving it doesnae hit ye”
Davie busies himself to avoid his emotions. He tries to explain to Alec that if you were busy, the thoughts leave your mind he is clearly not coping well and is only avoiding his feelings for now.
GRIEF: “Just for a minute a gap opened up, a wee patch of clear blue”
Alec is struggling to deal with grief but is given peace of mind when the clear blue sky appears he believes his mom is watching over him and finds comfort and knowing that she is in heaven.
GRIEF: “Ah’ve got some bad news for ye son. Yer mammy’s dead.”
Davie tells Alec about the horrific and life-changing event in such an impersonal and blunt manner, which is concerning and suggests davie lacks a sense of sympathy and nurture for his son at this difficult time.
His words clearly fail to give any comfort. Meaning Davie struggles to express his emotions to others.
The phrase “yer mammys dead” is repeated multiple times, suggesting Alec is having flashbacks to this event, and couldn’t comprehend the situation at the time.
SOCIAL CLASS: “Ian thought i was soft in the head for going so much to the mission”
Ian does not understand why alex has rejected the social group, and is now interested in religion. Ian thinks that Alec is moving up and away from his social class.
SOCIAL CLASS: “Fish Suppers? In the middle of the week?”
Iain cannot believe that they would buy a takeaway if it wasn’t a special treat. This shows how poor they are, highlighting their social class.
SOCIAL CLASS: “A’ve passed”
Alec took his father’s advice and has been accepted into a private school. This allows him to escape his working class roots and sees new opportunities that will make him more successful than his father had the chance to be, showing their difference in social class.
RELIGION: “cannae burn a hymnbook”
Davie is resistant to burning a handbook which suggests that perhaps he does have a more deeply ingrained faith. He reminds us he once dreamed of life as a missionary after reading David Livingston book.
RELIGION: “How about ‘No Surrender’”
A simple family discussion surrounding a toy turns distinctly religious. Ian suggests a very protestant name which shows he is steadfast in his beliefs and happy to push them on other people. When Alec then suggests a much more Catholic name, it is showing that he is more towards the Catholic ideologies.
