The Short Story „On Saturday Afternoon“ by Alan Sillitoe is a highly complex piece of literature. It does not merely represent the description of the experiences the narrator has made on one Saturday afternoon but it contains far more: It implies information about the social system the speaker lives in, his family background and his psychology. It would therefore not be very appropriate to make use of only one of the approaches that have so far been developed in order to interpret literature. Thus, in the case of this story it is not the question whether the reader “should” relate the author’s biography to the text, consider its intertextuality or try to interpret the text on the basis of its words alone1. For some stories it may be possible to pose and answer this question clearly, but with respect to „On Saturday Afternoon“ it is not. Here a „mixture“ of different methods offers the best access to the text because it covers more aspects of the story than one single approach does. Consequently, in this term paper I am going to deal with the Short Story “On Saturday Afternoon” by Alan Sillitoe considering the following aspects: The contents of the story, its inner structure and its relation to Sillitoe´s biography and some of his other works. In doing so I am aware of the fact that it is necessary and inevitable only to focus on certain aspects of the approaches - as the scope of this term paper is restricted- and therefore it is impossible to develop an interpretation which covers every aspect each one of these methods offers. Nevertheless I am convinced that the way I have chosen gains by the interplay of the accesses what it lacks from completeness.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- INTRODUCTION.
- INTERPRETATION.
- THE SETTING OF THE STORY
- THE POINTS OF VIEW AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS
- LEVELS OF NARRATION
- THE SOCIAL SYSTEM AND THE MAIN CHARACTER.
- The,, Haves\" and the,,Have Nots\"\n
- THE BLACK MOODS AND THE CONCEPTS OF AGGRESSION.
- SILLITOES LIFE AND BACKGROUND.
- His Works
- CONCLUSION.
- REFERENCES
- PRIMARY SOURCES
- SECONDARY SOURCES
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This term paper provides an in-depth analysis of Alan Sillitoe's short story “On Saturday Afternoon,” examining the story's content, structure, and its relationship to Sillitoe's biography and other works. The paper utilizes a range of interpretative methods to uncover the complexities and nuances of the text, acknowledging the limitations of each method while highlighting their combined insights.
- The story's setting and its implications on the characters' lives and social system.
- The multiple points of view and their impact on the reader's understanding of the story.
- The interplay between different levels of narration and their respective audiences.
- The exploration of the social system and its influence on the main character's experiences.
- The complex themes of aggression, poverty, and societal inequalities.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The first section of the paper, “Introduction,” provides a brief overview of the story’s complexity and the need for a multifaceted approach to interpretation. The next section, “Interpretation,” delves into the story’s various aspects, beginning with a discussion of the setting. It highlights the industrial environment and its impact on the characters' lives, particularly the pervasive sense of poverty and pollution.
The paper then examines the multiple points of view in the story, highlighting the narrator's humorous and sarcastic observations. It explores the shift between the narrator's retrospective perspective as a sixteen-year-old and his eleven-year-old self, revealing how these different perspectives shape the story’s narrative.
The paper proceeds to analyze the story’s levels of narration, considering the intended audience and the narrator’s self-presentation. It explores the relationship between the narrator and his peers as well as the potential implications for a wider audience. The chapter on the “Social System and the Main Character” investigates the narrator's observations of the social system and his understanding of poverty and inequality. It examines the character’s attitude towards the man attempting suicide and how his actions and thoughts reflect the social conditions.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The key terms and focus topics of this term paper revolve around Alan Sillitoe’s short story “On Saturday Afternoon” and the multifaceted aspects of its interpretation. This includes exploring the setting, its impact on the characters' lives, and the social system depicted in the story. Other key terms include: multiple points of view, levels of narration, the protagonist’s psychology, and the themes of aggression, poverty, and societal inequality. The paper delves into the relationship between the story and Sillitoe's biography and other works, providing a comprehensive analysis of this complex and thought-provoking piece of literature.
- Quote paper
- Hanno Frey (Author), 2000, The Short Story "On Saturday Afternoon" (Alan Sillitoe), Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/16388
