The Trojan Sofa Flashcards
“It’s dark-pitch black”
This shows that from the start Nialls father has kept him in the dark about many things. Niall is vulnerable and believes the lies his father tells him. Da has convinced Niall that the war is still going on and that Niall is going to make a difference in it. He convinces him with stories from his past and his experiences.
The sofas the first thing they lift as it has all the evidence in it
It could be seen that his childhood is the evidence, in which they lifted first. Niall never had a childhood and has to travel into adulthood quite abruptly. This was due to his mothers death and his father wanting revenge on the British by using Niall. He was thrown into a life of crime by his father so he experienced no real childhood. It could also be seen that Niall is the evidence, the product of conflict between the Protestant and catholic. Da is irresponsible as a parent and has neglected his child and because Niall is only a child he is oblivious to this.
It’s up to yourself but I must say it is for Ireland.
And of course an 11 year old boy is wanting to please his father, da is the only parent that he has and he wants to make him proud. Da has always known conflict and has made it known to Niall.
It’s a Victorian sof. It smells of dust.
The only reason that niall is in the sofa is because of da, as da wants revenge on the British soldiers by stealing their possessions. The dust that Niall is surrounded by could represent his fathers past. Niall is trapped in these memories of das and his past, which is not his. Niall is more aware of this anger and conflict than most children his age.
I have to hang on like grim death to the wooden frame.
The wooden frame can be seen as his childhood and Niall wants to cling on to this, he wants to be a normal child. It can also be seen as truth. He wants to hang onto the little truth that he has left between his relationship with da. “Grim death” could be seen as a link to the death of his mother, he wants to hang onto his memories of his mother.
My da says I’m better off without a watch.
Da himself cannot handle time passing so doesn’t want his son to witness how time can cause pain. Like his son he is clinging onto the memories of his wife. The process of his wife’s death was long and hard and now da can’t handle time passing, which is why he would not give his son a watch. Niall is starting to doubt his father, but cannot bring himself to admit it. Their relationship is starting to weaken due to da not being there for his son the way a father should be.
I get the Stanley knife and slide up the blade- stick in through the material above my head.
It could be six that Niall has known the truth all along and is finally trying to get out of the situation he is in because of his fathers web of lies.this is when we truly see that Niall and das relationship is in jeopardy.
They like to keep us in the dark
This is ironic due to the fact that it is da that keeps Niall in the dark, yet he is saying that he is being kept in the dark. Niall is wanting to put trust in his father but with all these lies Niall is starting to question the things his da has told him.
