Analysis of Growing Up/Anthony Hill

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dominance An analysis of Abduction (2002) Wars are fought everywhere each day, even in this country whose territory consists mainly of a peninsula. On one side stand the parents or legal guardians, believing firmly in traditions while their teenagers demand autonomy. The government seems to be on the parents' side, since juvenile delinquency is often high on its agenda. Yet, they seem to overlook the other extreme – what about the case where parents overprotect their children? Perhaps Shelagh Delaney’s short story Abduction from 2002 can help in clarifying this enigma: where should the degree of control go? In Abduction, the narrator confronts the reader with her thoughts on murdering her sister, Ann. The narrator explains her feelings by recounting the story of Ann and her brother. Ann, in apparent goodwill, brings the brother from Manchester to live with her in London. Despite Ann only being the brother's sister, she takes care of his financial needs, his work and to a certain degree his lifestyle as well. When the brother finds a girlfriend and starts a family of his own, Ann dismisses the spouse. The brother then dies shortly after millennium eve. In the lines 'Ann was slightly disappointed. Her sights for him had been set on accountancy or the law.' one can clearly see Ann's influence over her brother. She tries to educate him to match her own prestigious job without taking heed of the brother's own interests, which consist of, among other things, drugs, drinking and smoking. Not only is she persistent in creating an ideal brother, she also seems to overplay her role as a parent. The lines 'Her little brother, the family baby, needn't worry about money. She had plenty.' show her narrow-mindedness. Her brother is always 'the family baby' to her and consequently, she acts over-protectively and treats him as one. In brief, Ann, despite her only being a

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