Home – Iain Crichton Smith – How to Fail Essay Example

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 BASS" The author describes the tenements as brown which the reader interprets as a connotation of poverty and dirt, which casts a significant contrast of the main character arriving in a "black polished car". The word "Polished" indicates wealth and the word "black" could ndicate sophistication. This line is significant to his loss of his sense of belonging to the area he used to live in.

This is important as it shows his indifference and leads to events which affect his overall realisation. Another technique the author uses is his creation of characters in the story. The main character is treated differently than before because of the wealth he has obtained since he was last in Glasgow. "Get out of here, daddy, before we cut you up, and take your camera and your bus with you, nd your bag too, right? ... pat and said quietly Tourist" Because the main character is wealthy, compared to the area he is visiting, he is treated as an outsider to that area, whom the youths don't seem to accept. They mock him with his age by calling him "daddy' and threaten him. The author's use of creating characters is important in making the main character feel unaccepted and uncomfortable, which are the two factors he realises are what make a place his "Home" His happy memories of his friends confirm this.