Sorry For The Loss: Malthe Beskos Nørre Gymnasium English A

MALTHE BESKOS
NRRE GYMNASIUM
ENGLISH A
Sorry for the loss

Sometimes, what we see at first sight is not always the truth. For sailors, a
siren seems attractive but they are actually evil creatures trying to drown
them. For your own part, the one and only may not in the end be your one true
love as you thought so. In addition, Bridget Keehan is trying to show how a
poor little boy is actually a cruel murderer in her short story Sorry for the loss
In the short story, which starts with in medias res, we first get to know the
main character. Her name is Evie and she works as a chaplain in a prison. We
are told that Evie has to deliver a message to a prisoner named Victor. Though
she has been at this position for over a year, she still has not settled in. ()
she still finds the environment of prison abrasive and intimidating. (p. 1, l.
18). However, because she works as a chaplain, she is a very practicing
Catholic. She follows the bible and meditates whenever she can. Knowing the
racket to come, Evie deeply treasures this precious quiet time before unlock. It
gives her a chance to try and establish a feeling of calm in spite of the harsh
surroundings. (p. 2, l. 30). The meditating therefor helps her forgetting the
harsh and noisy environment, which she really does not like.
Evie is described as a very caring person who behaves properly. She is
surrounded by all kind of people who has committed all sorts of crimes, but still
she cares about them. That is also the case with Victor. She can almost
imagine him as her son (p. 3, l. 75). This is the first time she sees Victor.
Before delivering the news to Victor, she also thinks a lot about how he will
react.
Victor is as what you could call the purest of the purest. He is described as
good-looking man, and is very young too. When Evie first enters his cell and
sees him, it is clear that he is unlike any other prisoner. Victor has none of the
staleness about him that most long-term prisoners develop. His eyes have
spark and his olive skin makes the blue of his eyes appear all the brighter. (p.
3, l. 78). Victors feelings are unlike what you would expect from a prisoner too.
MALTHE BESKOS
NRRE GYMNASIUM
ENGLISH A
He does not seem that touched by his Nans death. Instead of getting sad or
cry, (as you would expect one too do so) he refers to Shakespeares King Lear.
Why should a dog, a horse, a pigeon have life and Nan no breath at all? You
know that Miss? (p. 3, l. 101). This is the first time the reader get a hint that
Victor might not be, as you would think at first sight. That is because he refers
one of the characters as of being a pothead, which seems like a rather odd
thing to do so.
A 3.person omniscient narrator tells the story. However, the story is of Evies
point of view. This is an important thing to take in notice, because most of the
environment is described through Evies mind. The noise and rush of labour
movement, when the prisoners are shunted off to take part in purposeful
activity, is still an affront to her senses () (p. 1, l. 20). Therefor the narrator
does not comment very often, and it gives a sense of Evie telling the story.
One thing that really stands out is the use of contrasts. Bridget Keehan use
them throughout almost the entire story. One that really stands out is the
contrast between Victors outside and inside. On the outside, Victor is a young,
good-looking boy who at first sight seems as a harmless boy. All about him
seems so different from the stereotype prisoner. She is relieved to discover
that Victor Zamora is not the angry man from the computer room but a slight,
good-looking boy who appears barely old enough to be in an adult jail. (p. 3, l.
74). When the officer then tells Evie about Victors act of murder we get to
know his inside. He stabbed another pupil at his school. (...) (p. 5, l. 181). It is
here we realize that Victors outside is just a faade to cover the bad inside of
him.
One of the major contrasts is the contrast between the life outside the prison
and the life inside the prison. The prisoners are trapped and thats why they
stand at the window looking on the life outside. You see the contrast when the
parking lot beside the prison is described. Evie wonders if the shoppers
parking their cars or the office workers () have any notion of the envious eyes
watching from above. (p. 2, l. 47).
MALTHE BESKOS
NRRE GYMNASIUM
ENGLISH A
We have some signs of symbols in the text as well. One of them is the pigeon.
A pigeon is a symbol of freedom, and when Victors neighbor traps the bird, it
is a symbol of how quickly freedom can be taken away from you. This happens
when you are arrested and go to jail.
The most important symbol must be the butterfly knife. In the end of the story
the officer tells Evie, that Victor used a butterfly knife. It symbolizes Victor
because it shows that beauty can hide cruelty. A butterfly knife is not
necessarily a beautiful thing but as it is said in the end of the text; how a
thing so hard and sharp, designed to cut, slice and stab, could be named after
something so delicate and easy to kill. (p.5, l. 187). That beauty can hide
something cruel or unpredicted is also the theme of the text. That the first
hand impression is not always the truth.
Sorry for the Loss is an interesting story about first impressions and secrets.
That what we see on the outside of the people can be so very different from the
personal inside. It also shows the contrasts of our modern life and how freedom
can so easily be taken away from us.

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Sorry for the loss

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