| Collection
Introduction (2) | Selling Manhattan, 1987
Duffy explores the virtues held by society, exemplified by a thief
She regards the actions of an individual as a barometer for the political climate |
| Subject (3) | A petty thief talks about the items they have stolen, the most unusual a snowman
Duffy is curious about the psychological reasons behind stealing a snowman - the persona derives pleasure from seeing the children unhappy
Told from the perspective of an anonymous, potentially juvenile, delinquent |
| Form (3) | Five quintets
Dramatic monologue
The formal structure contrasts the informal register of the persona |
| Theme (4) | Loneliness amongst a society that disregards him
The futility of his actions are clear - he steals a guitar without learning to play it; he cannot find meaning or value in his life
Psychological longing for a friend; failure to do so prompts aggression
Antisocial behaviour suggests no one understands his pain
- Longing for love, belonging and acceptance
- Moral and social deprivation (lack of spirituality, values) |
| Motifs (5) | "sick of the world" - climactic emotional release
"I joyride cars/to nowhere"
"I wanted him, a mate"
"Life's tough"
"You don't understand a word I'm saying, do you?" |
| Diction; Register
Lexical fields (2)
Nouns (2) | Colloquial, unpoetic - 'he weighed a ton', 'I'm a mucky ghost', 'flogged it', he leaves 'mess' (defeacation), 'nicked a bust of Shakespeare once' (juxtaposition)
Isolation - 'tough', 'boring', 'mute'
Loneliness - 'frozen', 'chill', 'ghost' (lack of warmth)
Concrete - 'guitar', 'camera', 'snowman' (what he steals)
Abstract - 'boredom' (how he feels) |
| Imagery and Symbolism; Pictorial (2)
Kinaesthetic
Auditory
Synaesthetic | "He looked magnificent, tall, white" - false glorification
"I took a run and booted him" - frustration in failing to create a 'mate'
"hugged to my chest" - he is searching for warmth (ironic)
"children would cry in the morning" - disturbing, almost sadistic in nature
"My breath ripped out in rags" - violent image |
| Rhythm (2)
Punctuation | Begins In Media Res - use of prose techniques in conjunction with her writing
Enjambed, rather than end-stopped - reflects normal tempo of speech (ventriloquism)
'Again. Again' - repetitive life of the thief |
| Rhyme | Internal (aspect of dramatic monologue) - 'slice of ice'; cold and harsh
'chill and thrill' |
| Tone
Mood | Sympathy for the character
Dark and cold - sheer loneliness of the persona |
| Conclusion | Duffy explores the minds of those who are mentally unstable |
