How Does Andrea Levy Tell the Story of Chapter One in Small Island?

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Chapter one is the arrival of Hortense in England in 1948 after travelling from Jamaica to meet her husband Gilbert. Levy tells the story through Hortense's viewpoint, and as a Jamaican having never before visited England, her perceptions are much different from her expectations. The chapter begins with Hortense arriving at the dock after travelling by ship to London. From the start it is clear that England is not all Hortense believed it to be. She believed it to be a place of privilege and sophistication, which she has learnt all about at her teaching college back in Jamaica. The first notable event that makes Hortense doubt England and all its refinement is when she asks a man about getting to Nevern Street, seeing as Gilbert did not meet her at the dock. Her eloquent way of speaking is not understood by the man, nor many other people, (Queenie included,) – By the sentences "I put on my best accent," and "The taxi driver still did not understand me," show her frustration regarding having learned proper pronunciation of English words, nobody in England seems to understand her. This severely contrasts with Hortense's previous thoughts on the sophistication of England as her perceptions may have been influenced by the likes of Shakespeare and Jane Eyre – things often associated with high-class Britain – but it seemed to Hortense nobody seemed to be anything like that at all. When Hortense reaches the residence of Queenie Bligh, it is clear that the house is not all it is made up to be either. When Hortense reaches Gilbert's room, she is confused to find that the place in which Gilbert is staying, is only one room. She goes on to discover the poor quality of the room: the rusty tap; the broken chair; the threadbare carpet; the uncomfortable bed. Gilbert however, is more tolerable of a smaller, less luxurious space, which shows how he has acclimatized to the
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