The Beautiful short story Secrets Essay Example

in the first section that something might have happened that destroyed their tight bond. The very first sentence is, "He had been called to be there at the end.

The word 'called' shows that he didn't particularly want to be there, which would be unusual under the circumstances of them having a good relationship. It suggests he was required to be there by others. His mind is obviously in other places (probably thinking about his past times with his aunt) , which suggests he is uncomfortable being there with his aunt 'at the end', when she is dying. Emphasis on their relationship is made again when the narrator was 'trembling with anger or sorrow, he didn't know which'.

He is unsure of his emotions, but if someone you had had a good relationship with was dying, 'sorrow' is what would be expected. The verb 'trembling' is normally associated with fear, not anger, and suggests that he is unable to release his feelings or talk to anyone about it. The setting of the story goes back in time (Flash Back), when the boy was young. He talks about when his aunt read to him, and which books she read repeatedly. Some of the books mentioned are heavyweight classical books, possibly suited more for people older than him.

This suggests she treated him more maturely that he actually was. "She would sit with him on her knee, her arms around him and holding the page flat with her hand. 'Arms around him' continues this idea. 'Holding the page flat' conveys the extent to which she made sure the boy was as comfortable as possible and could see the book clearly.

Also, because the aunt was reading to him, when it is something you would more likely expect his own mother to do. We then get the impression that there might be some sort of issue between the aunt and the boy's mother.

The boy tells his aunt the mother had said she might have some stamps for his collection. She replies, "Does she now -? " The word 'she' is quite patronizing, and because the reply is short, it suggests she said it in quite a patronizing manner. 'Perhaps it's best' shows the aunt said it in a nice way to the boy, so that he didn't suspect anything wrong between them. She didn't order him to do it, and just made it a suggestion. Later, the boy asked her if her friend was killed in the war. "At first she said no, but then changed her mind. "

'Perhaps he was'... The way in which she answers, and then changes her minds show she is uncomfortable lying to the boy. She decides to be honest with him. The word 'perhaps' indicates that she turned it into more of a joke rather than come right out with the truth. This aspect of the aunt's character shows she is uncomfortable speaking about her 'friend'. This is emphasized when she changes the subject, 'go and see what is for tea'. At the end of the section two, the theme of trust is introduced, tying in with the relationship theme.

"Then she locked it and put the keys on the shelf. She is quite happy to put the keys for her bureau, containing many of her valuable possessions and photographs, on

the shelf while the boy is watching. She obviously trusts the boy very much or otherwise she would have hidden them somewhere unknown to the boy so he wouldn't know where to get them and get access to her bureau. As the story continues, we realize that something happened between the boy and the aunt that destroyed their relationship.

We already know that the aunt kept some of the letters in her bureau very private, and trusted the boy wouldn't go and read them. He stood in front of the bureau wondering, and then he reached for the keys. " This is the beginning of the boy's breakdown of trust. The verb 'wondering' shows he was thinking deeply about whether he should open the bureau or not. The two words 'stood' and 'wondering' together, suggest he thought for quite a long time and he didn't just open it straight away. This makes his character more realistic, as even though he knew his aunt would be extremely annoyed, and he knew how close their relationship was, he couldn't help himself doing it.

This is something that many people would be able to relate to, as once you know you aren't allowed to do something; it makes the urge to do it even greater Once the boy starts reading the letters, he discovers one of them ends with, "I love you, John". This indicates that the aunt must have had some sort of relationship with this male. The contents of the letter include references of him being at war, which means that they still carried on their relationship while being geographically separated. This emphasises the strength of their relationship.

As

this message is at the end of the letter, it suggests 'John' may have been aware that this could have been his last letter, because being at war, you never know what is around the corner. He obviously wanted her to know that he loved her. More evidence of their special relationship is shown in anther letter that the boy reads. "You remember when we swam the last two fingers of your hand went the colour and texture of candles with the cold. Well that is how I am all over. " This man is reminiscing happy memories that they had shared.

He uses the same feelings that he knew the aunt had experienced, to convey how he is feeling at the war. When the aunt comes back, her feelings are indicated immediately. . This shows that she is suspicious and suspects that the boy has been up to something. The word 'snapped' suggests the aunt is extremely angry and their relationship has suddenly changed. "The boy could say nothing. " This shows the boy was ashamed of what he'd done, and was speechless - 'could'nt say nothing' - as he knew he had betrayed his aunt. The last thing the aunt says is, "'You are dirt,' she hissed, 'and always will be dirt.

I shall remember this till the day I die. '" The repetition of the word 'dirt' - which has negative connotations - highlights her annoyance. In the first part, the word 'always' stands out which conveys how definite she is about never forgiving him. This idea is continued with 'till the day I die'. The verb 'hissed' suggests she was furious. 'Till the

day I die' is also significant from the beginning of the story, where the scene is of the aunt dying. It suggests a reason as to why the boy didn't want to be with her when she was dying, as he knew she would still be remembering the incident.

It also proves how hurt she was that the boy had invaded her privacy by reading her letters. This shows how easily relationships can be destroyed and how difficult it is to repair them again. In the last section of the story, the scene is brought to the mother sorting through Aunt Mary's things, once she had died. "She glanced quickly at each one before she flicked it onto the fire. " The adverb 'quickly' shows that the mother had no real interest in the aunt, or she would be sorting through her things more carefully. This reinforces the distant relationship between the two.

The verb 'flicked' emphasises her disrespect towards the aunt. However, because she 'glanced' at them, it suggests that she could be bothered to have a quick look, just in case there was anything appealing to her. When the boy asks his mother if the aunt had said anything about him before she died, she replies, "'Not that I know of - the poor thing was too far gone to speak, God rest her. '" The dash in her reply shows that the When the boy asks his mother if the aunt had said anything about him before she died, she replies, "'Not that I know of - the poor thing was too far gone to speak, God rest her. "

The dash in her reply

shows that the response to the boy's hope that she might have said something about forgiving him is final, and that she definitely did not say anything about him. "Tears came into his eyes for the first time since she had died and he cried silently into the crook of his arm... that she might forgive him. " This conveys the boy's stream of consciousness. He cried 'for the first time since she had died', which suggests that up until this point, he had never given up hope that she might have forgiven him, but now he knows that she didn't, it will be something that he will have to live with for the rest of his life.

In conclusion, Bernard MacLaverty's short story "Secrets" explores the theme of relationships extremely well. He highlights that no matter how strong a relationship is between two people, if one of them ever betrays the other, then they can never undo their actions or escape from what has been done. Most importantly, he conveys how fragile relationships are, and once they have been broken, it is sometimes very hard for them to be mended.