Middle Class Family
Critical essay on Weekend by Fay Weldon
Weekend is a short story by the writer Fay Weldon.The story follows the events of a family on aweekend vacation in the countryside where the reader is given a view of the Protagonist, Martha’slife. It is one of endless hardship and toil for her uncaring husband Martin.As the story quicklyunfolds, it becomes evident that Martha’s strained life has taken its toll on her mind and that she isalmost crazy; and Fay does well to end the piece with a dramatic and thought provoking conclusion.The ending to the piece is very dramatic, perhaps not on the level of a massive explosion or ashocking eventhowever it does make the reader pause for thought at the extensity of what it presentsand the writer used many techniques to make the reader appreciate this.Everything in this piece is dominated by the issues that run throughout.Underlying themes of sexism,gender inequalities, body image and gender stereotyping are presented are presented very strongly,making its presence very felt with the reader.Another technique used by the writer to improve the last paragraphs effectiveness is that the start of the end paragraph is structured quite slow like the rest of the story whilst the rest of it is structured
It concerns a middle class family from London with three children spending a weekend in their country cottage.Although the story deals with one particular weekend, in many ways it could be any weekend – what we areshown is a glimpse into the ordinary, the habitual, the norm; it appears that the family spend virtually everyweekend at the cottage. The story examines the relationship between husband and wife Martin and Martha, and between Martha and Martin’s friends as well as taking a tongue-in-cheek glance at what ‘properly brought up’children are expected to be involved in.Weekend is a fictional storyof a normal weekend for a middle class family of five,told from the mother’s pointof view as she juggles paid, domestic and emotional work
Weekend is a short story by the writer Fay Weldon.The story follows the events of a family on aweekend vacation in the countryside where the reader is given a view of the Protagonist, Martha’slife. It is one of endless hardship and toil for her uncaring husband Martin.As the story quicklyunfolds, it becomes evident that Martha’s strained life has taken its toll on her mind and that she isalmost crazy; and Fay does well to end the piece with a dramatic and thought provoking conclusion.The ending to the piece is very dramatic, perhaps not on the level of a massive explosion or ashocking eventhowever it does make the reader pause for thought at the extensity of what it presentsand the writer used many techniques to make the reader appreciate this.Everything in this piece is dominated by the issues that run throughout.Underlying themes of sexism,gender inequalities, body image and gender stereotyping are presented are presented very strongly,making its presence very felt with the reader.Another technique used by the writer to improve the last paragraphs effectiveness is that the start of the end paragraph is structured quite slow like the rest of the story whilst the rest of it is structured
It concerns a middle class family from London with three children spending a weekend in their country cottage.Although the story deals with one particular weekend, in many ways it could be any weekend – what we areshown is a glimpse into the ordinary, the habitual, the norm; it appears that the family spend virtually everyweekend at the cottage. The story examines the relationship between husband and wife Martin and Martha, and between Martha and Martin’s friends as well as taking a tongue-in-cheek glance at what ‘properly brought up’children are expected to be involved in.Weekend is a fictional storyof a normal weekend for a middle class family of five,told from the mother’s pointof view as she juggles paid, domestic and emotional work