In The National Gallery

1235 Words5 Pages
In the National Gallery A) Analysis and interpretation Doris Lessing’s novel In the National Gallery is a novel of people and their relationships. It revolves around a person sitting on a bench in a gallery while watching and working the interactions of the people around him. I suppose the themes of the novel are unfortunate love, desire and different ages of life. To investigate the novel and thereby be able to conclude if my theory is accurate I will analyse the characters, the setting and the symbols. Three people besides the narrator play an important part in In the National Gallery. The first one the reader is introduced to is an old man in his sixtieth year, who is the point out of which the relationships rise from. He is described as a respectable old man, dressed properly and knowledgeable about national art. He acts fatherly across the second person who enters the story, by teaching the youngster about George Stubbs and his painting of a magnificent horse. This second person carries the typical traits of a young person, e.g. restlessness, which is shown in the way he constantly looks at his watch, while the elder man is trying to broaden his horizons and teach him a lesson of art. Furthermore, he clearly is quick-tempered and snaps at the old man when this makes a movement in resignation that was only meant as a joke. He instantly regrets his unfounded exclamation and tries to make it up again by waving in the old man’s direction when he leaves. This uncertainness and lack of control of his own actions are both very youthful and consummates his role as a young spirit. The contrast between the old, composed, wise man and the young, restless, tempered man is striking and helps the novel’s focus on ages of life to penetrate the lines. As the young man walks out the story, the ebullient, beautiful French girl enters. The instant she and her classmates
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