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ENG1501 Novel - Small Things Analysis.
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ENG1501 Novel - SmallThings Analysis.
, ENG1501 Short Story Analysis
Themes
Theme: Love
Explore the protagonist's view of love and how it develops from childhood to adulthood. Is he
consistent in how he understands love throughout his life?
The protagonist’s view of love is not consistent with how he understands love throughout his life.
During his childhood, he fell in love with Desiree and did everything he could to please her. “She
appreciated the efforts, yet dismissed them as heart-warming but unnecessary”. (p7) Desiree
never encouraged nor discouraged his pursuit of her. The fact that he kept on pursuing his love
for her, shows that he did not understand the true meaning of love. He accepted the fact that his
love for her was big enough for both of them.
During his adulthood, he thinks that “there are many kinds of love” (p46). He perceives his love
for Desiree as “an eloping kind, a love that constructs and abandons nests”. When Desiree
ended up in the hospital with ruptured brain arteries, the protagonist reflects on his love for her.
He says: “Maybe this is what love is – accepting the crudest possible treatment with the grace of
a wise monk, the selflessness of a saint”. (p110) This confirms that he is still not sure what love
is supposed to be. He also has a relationship with Mercedes and he admits that he “cannot tell
which love, which beauty, is greater: Mercedes or Desiree”. (p78) He never confesses his love
for Mercedes. “I am, when with Mercedes, incapable of any other emotion than gushes of
tenderness, ticklish sensations that prompt giddy feelings beyond measure”. (p78) This
statement suggests that he does not understand what love is. He is so fixated on his love for
Desiree that he is misinterpreting his feelings for Mercedes. In the end, he still thinks that Desiree
“is the only soul for whom my heart throbbed”. (p150)
Theme: Art and its place/ role in society
The protagonist has a very conflicting understanding of art, and yet his artworks are appreciated
by different people in the text. Explain how other characters view the protagonist's art, and what
this might say about how they view the protagonist.
The protagonist started writing poems to Desiree during his childhood. Desiree did not
appreciate the poems in the way he hoped she would. She did not respond to his poems and
“would be moody and aloof”. (p6) She did not encourage, nor discourage his pursuit of her.
Mercedes is touched by the protagonist’s tears after watching a trumpeter perform at The Hugh
student performance. She told him that his tears “are not to be taken lightly – for anyone who is
so affected by art is a priceless gift to the universe”. (p63) This is probably what prompted her to
buy him a trumpet for his birthday. She saw the potential in him to be an artist, because he is a
sensitive soul. She refers to him as “My Poet”.
The protagonist plays his trumpet on street corners and relies on donations in order to survive.
Sometimes he hears peoples’ remarks while playing and on one occasion he heard The Hugh
night-watchman say that he is a “Lazy shit, he thinks money grows on trees”. (p91) The night-
watchman made his own assumptions about the protagonist’s situation, not realizing that he truly
relies on donations to make a living.
Theme: Inequality and Class
, The protagonist can be said to move through different social classes. He encounters those who
are wealthy and he encounters those who are poor. Explain how the protagonist views these
different characters, and how their social class impacts on his understanding of them.
The protagonist encounters beggars whilst he is homeless and jobless, sleeping on park
benches. He does not engage in conversation with them, because “they are too involved in their
unknown thoughts”.
When he gets a job as a waiter at Café Mesopotamia, he observes affluent patrons. He says:
“There is this aura of self-importance about them, an arrogant expectation that disregards the
wishes of others.” (p136). He finds it hard to serve them, “feigning interest in their self-indulgent
stories”.
The protagonist is of the opinion that the demands of the wealthy people are worse than the rude
remarks he endured while playing his trumpet. He thinks that their nights out at Café
Mesopotamia have little to do with eating, but more about showing off their “expensive cars and
promiscuous lovers”. (p132)
Theme: Friendship
In many ways, the closest bond that the protagonist forms in the text is with a dog. Do you agree
with this assessment? Explain your answer and link this to how the protagonist views his
friendships and relationships, and why his relationship with the dog is so different.
I do agree that in many ways, the closest bond that the protagonist forms in the text, is with a dog
he named Benito. When he finds the puppy on his doorstep, he does not hesitate to take care of
it. He talks to the puppy as though it can understand him. The puppy follows him everywhere
and their relationship is built on trust, unlike his relationship with Desiree which is strained
because of her bad temper. Desiree is the abusive one in the relationship whilst the protagonist
is the one trying to take care of her.
The protagonist’s relationship with Mercedes is based on his artistic talents. Even though he
says that “I, in her company, feel bliss without form or limits” (p69), his feelings for Desiree
prevents him from making a commitment towards Mercedes.
The protagonist forms a close friendship with Gabriel Sanchez who is the father of Mercedes.
He says: “I am, to him, a son brutalized by life, who finds solace in the folds of his daughter’s
heart”. (p70) The friendship turns sour because the protagonist is unable to make his intentions
clear with Mercedes. Gabriel returns to Cuba and takes Mercedes with him. The protagonist
feels betrayed.
From the above, we can see that his relationship with the dog was special. He committed
himself to take care of the puppy under difficult circumstances such as being homeless and
struggling to earn money to buy food for himself and the puppy. The dog was his companion and
suffered some of the same hardships as the protagonist, namely being out on the street feeling
cold and hungry. The dog stayed by the protagonist’s side until the day he was taken away by a
biker, whereas Desiree, Mercedes, and Gabriel walked out of his life.
Theme: History and the Transition
There are many social changes that take place from the start of the novel to the point where the
protagonist is released from prison. How do these social changes link to the history of South
Africa? Are all of these changes positive? Why or why not?
As you continue to consider this question, try and think about how the tone and mood at different
points in the novel might indicate to you the change in the outlook of the protagonist. How does
his thinking about South Africa become more cynical and disillusioned? How is he able to
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