His Mother’s Influence Flashcards
A little too ornate for my taste - vulgar almost
This is Neil hearing his mother’s opinion in his head because she is his biggest influence at the moment
Now you’ll be at school with the sons of doctors and lawyers
This is Neil’s mum’s opinion and she’s really impressed/pleased that he will be going to a posh (middle-class) school where he will make posh friends
The fact is,’ said Neil, ‘I’ve got my period.
That is the culmination of Neil’s excuses that he tells embarrassingly to Michael’s mum: a) because it is his mum’s excuse he had heard her say b) he is desperate to avoid showing his skin.
He is quite a sheltered boy and doesn’t realise that this excuse isn’t appropriate
With a torch
His mum is an usher in a cinema and the light that she shines with her torch would be narrow. This suggests that Neil’s mum’s advice and viewpoint is a little limited and it takes Mrs Wan’s experienced world viewpoint to reassure Neil about his skin condition
Inside was a another ball with just as intricately carved mandarins and elephants and palm leaves, with another one inside that again.
Neil is trapped ‘inside’ the layers of his mother’s advice just like the intricately carved lace balls, one inside the other. His mother keeps him off school, deepening his shame.