Sorry for Disturbing You

1498 Words6 Pages
Sorry for Disturbing You What would you do you do if a stranger who looked like an alcoholic tramp, came by your door and asked for help? Would you let him in? Or would you slam your door? In the short story Sorry for Disturbing You, by Richard Knight The main character Ian is sat in this position when a stranger knocks on his door. But in the end it might not only be Ian that helps the stranger, but the stranger that helps Ian. The short story takes care of themes as loneliness, helping strangers and relationship issues. Ian seems to be a very normal guy with a wife and a daughter, but it seems like he and his wife Karen is going through a rough time which the text indicates by saying “Karen was staying at her mother’s for a while. They had things to sort out.” Apparently they are having problems. And it seems to be so bad that they are not living together and it could look like they are in the beginning of a separation. Ian’s view on his relationship changes though, after his meeting with a stranger named Michael Phelps. Michael who is an old man turns unannounced up on Ian’s doorstep and he is clearly not sober. “He looked ill. Or very drunk”. He tells Ian that he used to know the previous owners of the apartment, Edie and George Higham, and apparently he wasn’t aware that they had moved. Michel is described like a typically bum of appearance. He seemed lost, hanging on to the doorframe for support. Drunk Ian thought (…) Ian could now smell the alcohol and another unspecific but foul odour. Because of that Ian seems very eager to get Michal to leave again “Do you live locally?, Ian tried again, beginning to regret his decision to allow the stranger into his house. God knows what Karen would say when Corinne told her”. He doesn’t really seem eager to help Michael, and he immediately starts to wonder if his action of letting this alcoholic bum in to his
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