Home Jason Smith Analysis

Personal Study Notes – Jason Fee – Home by Iain Crichton Smith
QUESTION:
What techniques does the author use to show what the word “Home” really means to the main character?
Introduction
A short story I have read and thoroughly enjoyed is “Home” by “Iain Crichton Smith” I chose this short story because I found the authors’ style of writing interesting and the way he showed the characters’ experiences and emotions. The short story is based around the main characters’ understanding of home and the experience he has which, I believe, changes his idea of the definition of home. In this essay I will analyse the techniques used by the author to show the true definition of the word “Home” to the main character.
Very early in the short story the author makes good use of language techniques.
“They walked into the close whose walls were brown above and a dirty blue below, pitted with scars.”
The author describing the walls of the close as “pitted with scars” suggests that the walls are old and damaged, and thus have been vandalised due to local delinquents and lack of money or care or to bother to fix it. The word “Scars” has connotations of danger and suggests people could get hurt in this area. Although the main character stays optimistic at this point he starts to realise that the area is not the way he remembered it, because when he lived there, the low standard of the area was what he was accustomed to.
An Interesting technique the author uses is atmosphere early in the story.
The atmosphere of Glasgow is important to the main character as the contrast between the man and his surroundings give key insight to his personal opinion of home.
“The black polished car drew up outside the brown tenement... Somebody had written in chalk the words YA