Chemistry Flashcards
“it seemed that it followed an actual, existing line”, “invisible cord”
This symbolises the connection between the grandson and his grandfather. This bond is portrayed to be strong and tangible. Swift’s use of the adjective “invisible” suggests that it’s a sacred, special connection that belongs to only them and cannot be accessed by anyone else.
It could also be seen to reveal the narrator’s perspective - he recognises that this connection in fact isn’t “actual” and “existing”, and is instead purely metaphorical.
“the voyages were trouble free”
This hints at the childish bliss that the narrator felt at this time - he hasn’t experienced any real trauma yet. This is slightly ironic considering that his father has died previous to this point, thus implying that the boy has not fully grasped the concept of death yet.
As the voyages appear to be symbolic of the narrator and his grandfather’s relationship, it perhaps implies that their connection was perfect and unblemished up to this point.
“The motor cut. The launch wallowed, sank.”
These sentences mark a turning point in the narrator’s life, so Swift uses the short clauses to reveal the traumatic severity of the situation.
“I thought Ralph would be quite capable of … seizing grandfather by the throat and strangling him”.
“Suddenly barked”
The violent, animalsitic use of the verbs “seizing” and “strangling” present Ralph as a threatening force. He is portrayed by the narrator as being a villainous outsider, whom the boy only sees evil intent in.
By preceding the harsh verb “barked” with the surprising, unpredictable time phrase “suddenly”, Swift is able to give rise to a sense of the extent of the violent tension within the family.
“Looked like some torpid, captive animal that has lost even the will to live”
This reveals the perceptiveness of the grandson, and the extent of the understanding he has regarding the emotional well-being of others.
Swift’s description of the grandfather as a “captive animal” links in some ways to the animalistic description of Ralph, and this similarly highlights the weak vulnerability of the grandfather - it suggests that the grandfather was once as strong and powerful as Ralph is now, making it seem even more sorrowful that he has been reduced to this state.
Furthermore, the description of “lost even the will to live” tragically foreshadow the climax of the story. We can track the grandfather’s mental progression through the story , from him being “really quite happy” to this, making it all the more harrowing to us as readers.
“heavy rain and the tossing branches”
This pathetic fallacy mirrors the cold, harsh, uncaring reality of the situation, creating a desolate tone that mirror the isolation felt by the narrator after the loss of his grandfather.
“official verdict: suicide by swallowing prussic acid”.
This removed, statistical attitude could be seen by some readers to be indicative of a sort of heartless indifference towards the death of his grandfather.
Alternatively, it could be seen to signify a lack of understanding as to the finality and severity of the situation. This is built on by his earlier innocent “wondering” about what his father was doing at the bottom of the Irish sea.
“still travelling over to him, unstoppable, unsinkable, along that invisible line”
This line creates a cyclical structure, suggesting that their bond was so strong that not even death could break it. It could alternatively be revealed to allude to the boy’s lack of acceptance regarding the death of his grandfather, or his lack of understanding regarding the finality of the situation.
