M is for Mother

A Brief Summary:

A short chapter, M is for Mother, Mothering Sunday performs two roles. Simply, it compares the mothers of Boy A and Boy B. It appears that the mother of Boy A is dutiful and kind whereas the mother of Boy B left at an early stage of his life, only communicating with the family by sending them a postcard every Mother’s Day.

On a more subtle level it encourages the reader to think of the lives of these two women and how both felt let down by their respective husbands. Boy A’s mother is hurt when Mother’s Day is forgotten and by the general loss of passion in their relationship that has become “dutiful rather than wonderful”. In contrast it is hardly a surprise that the mother of Boy B sought to leave her family, particularly her drunkard husband and her violent older son.

This encouragement to empathise with the women is brought home most poignantly in the final paragraph of the chapter. Boy A’s mother recognised him on CCTV footage broadcast on the news a full five days before his arrest. She has just been waiting for the inevitable knock on her door. When the police arrive the fear and panic she feels when she brings Boy A down from his bedroom is starkly conveyed in the description of the mother and son “…holding hands, on trembling legs”.

Points for consideration:

• This is a novel that constantly surprises readers by revealing new facts. How does this extra detail about Boy B’s family background inform our understanding of him and his behaviour?
• To what extent is the writer explaining Boy B’s behaviour through his parental background? How important is parental influence in moral development? How important is genetics? How important is peer influence. How much do you agree with this article? 

L is for Letters

A Brief Summary

Back at work, Chris asks Jack about his previous evening with Michelle, but Jack struggles to tell Chris the truth. As he notes, “... this is something friends talk about” but he finds it difficult to discuss. This reminds the reader just how difficult it must be for Jack to adjust to normal life.

As they are driving in their van to another drop off, a deer rushes onto the road and causes the car in front of Chris and Jack to brake hard. The car loses control and careers off the road, smashing through a fence and sliding down a steep bank. The two men pull up and rush to the battered car to find a young girl in a child seat who is not breathing. Jack remembers first aid training from his time in prison and resuscitates the girl, ensuring she is breathing and alive. He is congratulated by the arriving emergency services who tell Jack that he “almost certainly saved the girl’s life”.

The chapter closes with a rush of positives. On their return to the depot Jack and Chris are cheered as heroes and Jack is described as feeling an unusual “sense of belonging”. When Terry hears about Jack saving the young girl’s life he is full of excitement, suggesting that “that’s someone saying you’ve been forgiven”. Even his previous failures with Michelle are righted as they spend a fulfilling night together. The chapter ends on an unusually upbeat note.

Points for consideration:

• There is positive imagery through the second half of the chapter: “His prayer is of thanks”; and Chris and Jack sit “In the sunny garden of a pub” but can you find some bleaker tones even in the last few pages of this chapter?
• “The policemen shake Jack’s hands after they have congratulated him”. What thoughts do you imagine Jack would be having at this moment?
• Throughout the chapters after Jack’s release from prison events are described in the present tense. For example in this chapter, “They jump out and run to the car” rather than “They jumped out and ran to the car”. How does this use of present tense add to the reader’s experience?

K is for Kangaroo

A Brief Summary

In a further flashback Trigell describes Boy A’s journey to court in a police van. The van comes under heavy attack from an angry crowd, eager to take revenge on the two boys. The reader is continually challenged to question whether these boys should be considered as responsible adults or vulnerable children. Their small size is emphasised, as they sit on the defendants’ benches in court “the toes of the defendant did not quite reach the floor from their seats”. Trigell also notes that the age of legal responsibility is lower in Britain than many other areas of the world.

The identity of the victim is revealed for the first time, a ten year old girl called Angela Milton. The jury are played audiotapes of the two boys’ evidence in which they deny any responsibility for the girl’s death. Boy A lies consistently but Boy B’s evidence is contradictory and quickly reveals that he is trying to deceive the questioners.

The court passes a sentence of seven years imprisonment for the murder. This is increased by the Home Secretary to ‘indefinite detention’, under pressure from public opinion, fuelled by a tabloid newspaper campaign.

Points for consideration:

• Trigell writes in an almost poetic style. In this chapter rhyme (“narrow arrow slits”, “the treasure and measure of this clan”)and frequent alliteration (“concerned and curious”, “blameless, beautiful”) are used. How well does this lyrical style suit a novel whose themes are so dark and so graphic?
• Phrenology was an old fashioned belief that some scientists held suggesting your personality was set from birth - read more here. Why does Trigell refer to this old fashioned idea when describing the public’s reaction to the boys?
• Note how the descriptions of Boy A (“… wore new clothes that fitted perfectly”) and Boy B (“… wore a tracksuit throughout the trial”) differ, not for the first time in the novel. Can you spot any other differences in their presentation in this chapter?

J is for Jonah. Just Jinxed.

A Brief Summary:

After his embarrassing drug-fuelled encounter with Michelle last weekend, Jack makes amends by taking her for a coffee. They have an open conversation, establishing the fact that they like each other and they agree to go watch a film at Michelle’s house.

 

They start to watch an action film but soon find themselves caught up in lusty distraction on the sofa.

They begin to make love. Jack prematurely ejaculates, suddenly feels self conscious, pulls his clothes back on and gets out of there.

Points for discussion:

•  Look at Page 101 – how does Trigell use paragraph-breaks to control the pace of his story. Why do you think he does this?
•  In this chapter we see Jack beginning to develop all of the trappings of a normal adult life. Do you think Trigell wants us to think that Jack deserves to have a normal life?
• Why do you think that people treat Jack differently now to how they did when he was a boy? Do you think that Trigell is trying to teach us any sort of lesson about life and childhood here?

I is for Insects. As Flies to Wanton Boys.

A brief summary:

Before getting into this chapter, have a look at the title of it. Do you know where it comes from? It is from a play by William Shakespeare called King Lear – the entire quotation reads: ‘As flies to wanton boys are we to th’ Gods’.

Trigell is doing something very interesting in alluding to this line. By taking this line from Shakespeare which is based on the assumption that ‘boys are cruel to little insects’ he is reminding us that children have always had the capacity for cruelty and that, in many ways, the issues that he is dealing with in this tale are timeless and could have happened at any point in history.

He is also reminding us of what the boys lack in their lives – nobody looks up to them, they do not have the respect of others – and when young boys do not have something they need, they are wont to take it by any means necessary. We have already seen in Chapter B that Boy B is known to cross out God’s name from the Bible and insert his own. In many ways this chapter deals with the boys’ desire to feel god-like.

Another important function of this chapter is that it tells us what sort of area the boys grew up in – descriptions of the concrete blocks, the discarded nappy and the used condom all add up to give us the impression that the boys’ inhabit a relentlessly bleak world with no source of human warmth or decency.

The only real ‘event’ of this chapter is the two boys sat by the dirty river Byrne fishing for eels. The death of the eel is described with painstaking detail and the description of the boys’ nihilistic destruction of the animal gives us sense of the crime that is to be committed later on in the novel.

We also get a chilling glimpse into the home-life of Boy B who we learn comes from a run down estate and has been the victim of sexual assault.

Points for discussion:

• Notice the calm concentration that Boy B shows when fishing – a side to him that is never seen in any other aspects of his childhood. What do you think this tells us about his character, and does it contain any clues as to how B’s fate could have been avoided?
• Does Trigell want us to see these boys in a sympathetic way, or is he presenting them as monsters? Find a quotation to support each point of view.
• Why do you think that people treat Jack differently now to how they did when he was a boy? Do you think that Trigell is trying to teach us any sort of lesson about life and childhood here?

H is for Home. Home Help.

A brief summary:

The story of A becoming accustomed to prison life continues – thankfully for him his new inmate is not as volatile as the man that tried to kill him in Chapter D. Whilst his cell my have become a less threatening place, the world outside his cell is full of predatory prisoners, all eager to show Boy A his place in the pecking order.

A’s first night in his cell is met with a cacophony of taunts and violent threats from the cells around him. The voices from surrounding inmates are urging A to come to the window and sing a nursery rhyme for them. A’s new cellmate, Hacendado, tells him that he is wiser not to. A closes the window of his cell, despite threats from outside that he will be assaulted for doing so.

The rest of the chapter concerns A’s initiation into the routines of prison life – the importance of keeping a clean cell, the rituals of collecting food in the canteen and storing some for later, as well as the importance of keeping a low profile on the inside.

A has a meeting with his Personal Officer who makes it clear that he is aware of exactly what A has done to land himself inside – and the importance that this information is not leaked to the rest of the prisoners.

Points for consideration:

• Compare this chapter with Chapter Q… how do A and B’s experiences of prison differ and why do you think this is?
• Look at the final line of the chapter – ‘You just do what you can… I’ll see you do the rest.’ To what extent do you feel that A’s personality has been shaped by those who have had control over his life at various stages? Who do you think have been the most important characters to have an influence over him?
• Read the final paragraph on p.74 starting with the word ‘suck’. How would you describe Trigell’s writing style here, and what effect do you think that he is trying to create?
• Notice how Trigell sometimes refers to the protagonist as A and sometimes Boy A. What effect does this have on us?

G is for Garden. Garden Party.

Brief Summary

Back to Jack’s big night out.  This chapter opens with Jack being left alone with Michelle.  In the spur of the moment, he feels overcome by his attraction towards her and he tells her that he loves her.  Steve the Mechanic returns to reveal that Jack’s outburst of love is a result of the ecstasy tablets; Jack has not successfully rid them from his system.  Michelle is angry and walks away.  Due to the drugs, this does not bother Jack as he feels like he can fix anything.

Jack starts dancing.  He momentarily feels paranoid that people are watching him and criticising him for his dancing, but in his drug-induced state, he quickly decides that everyone around him on the dance floor are his friends.

At the end of the club night, Jack gets invited to an after party, to which he invites Chris and Steve the Mechanic.  Two men approach Chris at the party, clearly looking for trouble.  Jack watches on protectively, hoping that nothing will come of it.  When things turn ugly, Jack races over to prevent Chris from having his face stamped on.

Jack’s experiences in prison have clearly left him well able to handle himself in a fight.  He quickly gets the upper-hand and starts to head butt the main culprit until Steve the mechanic pulls him away.

The boys leave the party in haste.  They all go home and Jack is left feeling anxious, upset by the night’s events.

Things to consider:

§         Can violence ever be justified?

§         Did Jack go too far?

§         How has Jack’s time in prison changed him?

F is for Family, Fathers, Fidelity

Brief Summary

In this chapter, Terry informs Boy A of his mother’s death.  This news still comes as a shock, despite having known that she was dying from ovarian cancer.  We learn that his mother had continued to visit Jack whilst he was in prison whereas A’s father never visited.  He therefore considered her to be his last link to love.

 

Devastated by the news, Jack cries.  He is comforted by Terry and we see the bond between them strengthening when Terry accompanies Jack to the funeral.  At the funeral, it is clear that any relationship Jack and his father once had, is now deteriorated; they are anxious in each other’s company and the strain of what has happened is too much for them to be able to maintain contact.  Jack later receives a letter from his dad informing him that he has accepted a job abroad.

We also learn more about Terry’s family life in this chapter.  Like Jack, he has had to deal with separation after he learns of his wife’s affair which leads to their divorce.  It is decided that his son, Zeb, should not hear of the reasons behind the divorce so as not to destroy his relationship with his mum.  However, Terry feels that Zeb suspects it was his fault and father and son slowly grow apart.

Things to consider

§       How have Jack’s parents reacted to the crime?  Can you understand each reaction?

§       What role does Jack’s father play in his life and what’s happened to him?

§       Compare the bond between Terry and Jack with the waning bond between Terry and his own son

§       Why does Jack blame himself for this mother’s death?  Why does he compare himself to her cancer?

E is for Elephant. White Elephant.

Brief Summary

This chapter opens with Jack struggling to get the washer-dryer to work, whilst also burning his dinner under the grill; trapped inside is his only shirt option for an evening out with the lads from work and, of course, Michelle.

The reader learns that knowing suicide is an option is a comfort to Jack.  It means that he always has a choice, which makes him feel more powerful and therefore able to keep going when life gets difficult.

Jack manages to save both his shirt and dinner before meeting Chris and Steve the mechanic at the pub.  He is pleased to meet them first before joining the larger group, which will include Michelle, as it allows him some time to get used to being out socially with his new friends.  However, he still feels out of his league during a conversation about chat-up lines and it becomes clear to the reader how inexperienced Jack is.

In the next bar, Jack spots Michelle.  Once he is aware that she is there, he feels distracted by her, but he is too nervous to approach her.  When he sees two men talking to her and Claire, he feels pangs of jealousy, but is relieved to learn that she has left to go to the next club without the men.

On their way in to the nightclub, he is ‘struck by the unreality of it all’.  Once inside, he is overwhelmed by the thump of the loud music and the many scantily clad women.  Michelle beckons him to the dance floor, but he is still too shy to speak to her, let alone dance with her, especially as he has never danced before.

As the chapter continues, Jack becomes increasingly drunk and unstable; however, the alcohol is also helping him enjoy himself as he is more ‘at ease than he can ever remember being’.

Unfortunately the night takes a dangerous turn towards the end of the chapter, when Jack unknowingly accepts drugs from Chris.  He is told to close his eyes, open his mouth and swallow; Jack, used to following orders, simply obeys.  On advice from Chris and Steve the mechanic, Jack goes to the toilets to make himself sick in the hope of getting the pill out of his system. When there, he meets a ginger bloke, high on drugs, who wishes him luck.

Points to consider:

§         What does Jacks’s reaction to the washer-dryer tell the reader about him?

§         What is Jack’s reason for not being scared of Jaws, the movie?

§         Trigell states that ‘It doesn’t occur to him that maybe he doesn’t deserve this’ when his night is going well.  How much has Jack adapted to being out of prison?

§         Why is he ‘just used to obeying orders’?

D is for Dungeon. Dark and Deep.

A brief summary:

In this short chapter the narrative switches back to the past; this time to more events and to a violent episode from Jack’s time in prison. Initially it is not clear what is happening, only that Jack (cleverly named A in this chapter to remind the reader of his heinous crime) has a ‘muggy certitude that he was in trouble’.

What transpires is that Jack is the victim of some kind of act of prison revenge. A more seasoned inmate is bent on killing him in order to gain retribution against the screws who put his cousin into a cell with racists who killed him. The anonymous man is determined to avenge his cousin’s death and this ‘new nearness to death provokes a fresh terror’ in Jack’s who begins to lose consciousness as his throat is strangled.

As Jack feels himself ‘weakening’ a door opens a ‘bright light’ comes ‘washing in’ in the shape of three prison officers who rescue him from the grip of his attacker. Jack considers the men to be ‘Guardian Angels’ who have saved him from certain death. The irony of this description is not lost on the reader.

Points to consider:

1. What kind of impression is the reader given of life in prison? Do these conditions help to reform offenders or are they more likely to make criminal worse?
2. This chapter relies heavily on swear words to create a sense of realism. How do you feel about this use of profanity? Is it justified in the service of authenticity or is it unnecessary?
3. How does the reader feel towards Jack by the end of the chapter? On the one hand the reader feels some sympathy for the way Jack is treated, but on the other he has managed to escape with his life, something he denied to the victim of his actions.

C is for Coast. Can You See the Sea?

A Brief Summary:

The beginning of the third chapter sees Jack a month down the line from when he was first released from prison. Jack is beginning to really relish his freedom, looking upon his emerging life of possibility as a sea that he ‘embraces’ and ‘opens his lungs to swallow it as it swallows him.’ Jack particularly enjoys the mornings when he is alone on the streets and able to take pleasure in the simple things in life, such as spending the ‘chunky coins’ in his pocket on the daily newspaper.

Over breakfast Jack reads his Daily Star and takes delight in admiring the page three girl, a sign that he is beginning to feel more at home in this alien world. As Jack takes in what he sees, he starts to feel his ‘virginity acutely’. In many respects this brief moment provides a foreshadow of his later relationship with Michelle, the receptionist at his new job where he is delivery driver’s assistant. It is clear that Jack is slowly starting to settle into this new identity. Chris, the driver of the van that Jack assists, clearly like Jack: he playfully calls him Dodger and has considered making Jack a proper mate, not just for drivers.’

This chapter also presents the first real moment of danger for Jack. It occurs when Chris starts talking about a story in the Sun newspaper of child killer who has been recently released from prison. Jack is immediately paralysed by the prospect of his new identity becoming exposed to the world and he feels ‘irresistible gravity sucking dry every part of him.’ With great relief he discovers that the photo fit picture the paper have of him looks nothing like him. Jack’s new world is safe.

The rest of the chapter is taken up with continuing to show the reader how much Jack is beginning to become part of the real world. He has a brief exchange of flirtation with Michelle and discovers through Chris the reason why she is referred to as the White Whale. Jack has another meal with Terry at the Figment and Firkin pub, where Terry warns Jack to take it easy on a night out with the lads he has planned. It is also clear to the reader that Terry’s own life is far from perfect. Upon his return home that night it becomes apparent he has forgotten his own son’s birthday. Zeb and Terry seem to have a strained relationship – ‘they remain in different rooms, neither of them willing to initiate the inevitable’ argument. 

Points to consider: 

1. What other elements of foreshadow are provided in this chapter?
2. How does the reader feel about Jack at this point in the novel? Details of the terrible crime he has committed are starting to emerge, yet in many ways Jack remains a likeable and sympathetic character. What is Trigell up to?
3. What might be the wider symbolism of the razor that Jack aims to buy with his first wage packet? Are there several possible interpretations?
4. How does Jack's emerging interest in Michelle make the reader respond to his character?
5. What is the effect on the reader of the way in which everyone he seems to meet warms to his character?
6. How and why is Trigell offering a contrast between Terry's relationship with Jack and his relationship with his own son, Zeb?

B is for Boy. A Boy named B.

A brief summary:

This chapter focuses on Boy B and to the details surrounding the way he became friends with Jack when they were children. Boy B was mentioned briefly in the opening chapter, described simultaneously as ‘friend, accomplice, instigator’ and ‘nemesis’. In many respects B is the polar opposite of A: wild and scruffy, a year younger and with a propensity for violence. He has an older brother who no one messes with and exudes confidence in his swagger. But beneath this hard exterior B seems to share the same sense of loneliness as A. This is what makes them friends.

Trigell gives details about how Jack was bullied at school and how he tried to hide his shame from his parents. The reader learns that as the bullying got worse Jack began to truant from school. It was during one of his days bunking from school that Jack comes across A. The pair strike up a relationship based upon on their shared sense of isolation: A without friends, and parents and teachers to notice, whilst B retreating into ignorance and wildness as a result of something to do with his infamous brother.

Are children inherently good or evil?

The chapter ends with a confrontation between some of Jack’s tormentors and both boys walking home after spending the day together. After sensing an opportunity to further intimidate their helpless victims, the bullies are surprised by a violent attack by the much smaller and younger B. He sets about the older boys with a disturbing sense of unrestrained violence, hitting and kicking them in to submission. The attack is quickly over and the pair become even closer friends as a result of their experience.

Points to consider:

1. In what ways is Boy B different to Boy A? Are they really so different after all?
2. Look at the description of Boy B. How does Trigell use language (profanity, sentence structure, cultural references) to present a clearer picture of the type of boy that he is?
3. Although he is described as ‘ignorant’, in many respects it seems that Boy B has a great deal of experience of life. He seems more like a man than a boy. How does Trigell achieve this and what is he trying to say about his character?
4. What does the fact that Jack wont tell his parents about being bullied imply about his family life? Does this connect in any way to the absence of his parents in the first chapter where he is released from prison?
5. What do you make of the line ‘Children can be monsters too.’ Do you agree with this statement, or do you think circumstances create monsters?
6. Why is the passage about Mrs Johnston’s views on Jack written in italics? To what extent does it make you read it differently?
7. Is Boy B a bad influence on Jack, or is the situation more complicated than that? It might help to closely read the final passage of the chapter where Boy B is annotating the Bible he stole from church.

A is for Apple. A Bad Apple.

Brief summary:

In this chapter the reader is introduced to the character of Jack Burridge, a young man who has just been released from prison for a crime he committed as a child. The specific details of the crime are as of yet shrouded in mystery, but several clues – the reference to coverage in the national press, and the need for him to undergo a change in identity upon release – suggest something of considerable severity.

This initial chapter provides an insight into Jack’s first two weeks of freedom. He is excited by the possibilities of this ‘new unroofed world’, but also overwhelmed by the enormity of what he sees. Jack’s guide is Terry, his parole officer and the man with whom he has built up a considerable amount of trust and dependency. Terry is charged with the responsibility of looking out for Jack and helping him to adjust to his new life of normality. Through Terry’s support Jack starts to settle in to his new life.

Points to consider:

Is Jack a Bad Apple?

1. What role does Terry seem to play in Jack’s new life? Look at the different ways that he helps Jack: buying him new trainers, taking them to new places each day and helping him to settle into his new lodgings
2. What subtle clues are offered about Jack’s past, in particular the crime he committed to get himself sent to prison? Look at the very first paragraph for suggestions about Jack’s crime
3. What are your immediate impressions of Jack’s character? Do you warm to him, even though you know that he must have done something terrible? Is this an uncomfortable feeling?
4. Why does Trigell start the novel with details of Jack’s first weeks of freedom? Does this effect how the reader feels towards his character?
5. What do you think is the purpose of the chapter heading? How does it relate to the events or characterisation in the chapter?