Question

Within a few pages, the author has packed the important events in the lives of John Ipe and his wife. Discuss how conciseness and economy of expression can achieve an effective portrayal of entire lives.

Answer 1

There are two ways of narrating a story, one style is the elongated narration with the detailing of each and every emotion and situation giving length to the story. The other style is a crisp one that keeps the story short yet highlighting the important events and emotions. Roy has narrated using the second style. She has kept the story short, yet she did not miss out on anything. She has described the relation of a husband and a wife with all the necessary details, though she did not ponder over the sentiments for long. She explained the face of the society we live in. Jean Genet was so correct when he said that society dwells on images and this is what Roy has tried to emphasise in her story. John had lost the chance to gain the recognition, he could have, felt the loss of identity along with it. Roy is economical when she describes the emotions and makes sure that nothing worthless is portrayed. All that she has spent in the short tale is worth the while. The narration is simple enough and achieves effectively the portrayal of the entire lives of the characters. The disturbance in the marriage, the physical violence, the emotional loss, the intervention of the young child, and its impact on the father. All have been portrayed wisely not wasting any time or making the reader wait for the following happenings.