The Decline of the West

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The Decline of the West The financial crisis has affected lots of families. The short story “The Decline of the West” is Hanif Kureishi’s example of how it could affect a family. It was published in 2010, a time where the recession was a huge part of many people’s lives. In Kureishi’s short story, a man called Mike loses his job and he goes home with the intention of telling his family about his suspension. His wife Imogen would not let him say a word in their conversation, and he is too worried about how Imogen and their two sons will react when they hear that he cannot give them all those material things they are used to get. The family in the short story is from the upper class, and they live on the outskirts of London. They get some financial problems because Mike gets fired, and since Imogen is a volunteer their income vanished. Mike is the person who keeps the family together with the money he earns but when it comes to the private life he can’t control them. He doesn’t have their respect because he never has had time for them. The fact that they don’t have much money anymore is starting to threaten their lifestyle. The main character in the story is a man named Mike. He is a hard working father and husband, who doesn’t have so much time for his family, so it is hard for him to show them his love. He gets fired from his job and he doesn’t know how he will solve the problem. He is married to a woman named Imogen who is working as a volunteer, and she is very materialistic. She drinks a lot of gin and tonic drinks and she takes their children’s side when they are arguing. She likes to dress up in diamonds and gold when she is with her friends and at home she has relaxed clothes on, like an old t-shirt and slippers. The fact that she drinks could be a sign that she can’t relax and that there could be some problems she can’t handle. Mike would give her the
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