Vernissage Essay

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Vernissage This essay is about the short story Vernissage, written by Claire Anderson-Wheeler and published in 2008. The text revolves around the boy Alex, his parents and the relationship between them. Furthermore the text deals with themes as family, childhood and the struggles of keeping a maybe faltering relationship on good terms. This essay will include a characterization of Alex as well as an analysis on the parents’ relationship and the text’s main theme and use of symbols. By the end of the essay few important questions should be answered: why can Alex not just grow up? And why are the parents almost like strangers to each other? The story’s main character, Alex, is obliviously debating with himself whether to grow up mentally or stay as a child. Alex seems like any other boy his age when the text starts by describing him getting out of the school and into his mother’s car. They share a quick conversation surrounding Alex’ school day, just like one would imagine this scenery to be. His mother has bought a new dress for the vernissage, an event she and Alex’ father would be attending the same night. Alex curiosity is shown as he questions his mother about the dress. “’What did you buy a dress for?’ [...] ‘Is the new dress so you can look pretty for Vernie Sage?’”(page 8, line 42) he babbles and also lets his childish imagination run wild by picturing a man by the name Vernie Sage every time he heard the word vernissage. When they get home a little later his mother makes him a banana sandwich, and this is where his confusion begins to strike in. He is not sure if he is becoming too old for the sandwiches as they remind him of baby food, being soft and sweet. Yet he still likes them and as he eats it seems as if he drifts off into another state of mind: “He peeled back the top of his sandwich, examining the fuzz of white bread that remained stuck to

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