Tommy Castelli's The Prison

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THE PRISON Relevance of the Title The prison in this story is Tommy Castelli’s life. For many people, prison does not mean grey buildings with guards and watch towers. Tommy is locked into a drab life that he shares with a woman he has never loved, doing work that has no meaning with no hope of any redemption. Every day is like any other. Catching the young girl stealing adds a spark to his life because there is something new about it. He sees something of his early life in her actions and that prods him to do something to save her before it is too late. But he fails miserably here too. Main themes The imprisonment people suffer even when seemingly free is the main theme of The Prison. When he was young, Tommy’s dream had been to break…show more content…
“He wouldn’t spit on a candy store, and Rosa was too plain and lank a chick for his personal taste, so he beat it off to Texas and bummed around for three months in too much space, and when he came back everyone said it was for Rosa and the candy store, and it was all arranged again and he, without saying no, was in it”. In what way does the candy store become a symbol for Tommy’s life?2. Why does Tommy feel bad about the slot machine?3. “He had to sit down. He kept trying to make the urge to speak to her go away but it came back stronger than ever.” What preceding event has upset Tommy? Why was it significant for him?4. “It said, “Don’t do this anymore or you will suffer your whole life.” He puzzled over whether to sign it A Friend or Your Friend and finally chose Your Friend.” What is ‘It’? Why does he choose ‘Your Friend’ rather than ‘A Friend’?5. “You could never see the sky and the ocean because you were locked in a prison, except that nobody called it a prison, and if you did, nobody knew what you were talking about, or they said they didn’t”. These words are the key to Tommy’s angst. What do they convey to the reader?6. “The girl, like a grotesque ballerina, half ran, half fell forward, but at the door she managed to turn her white face and thrust out at him her red tongue”. Do you think that the girl like Tommy will turn out to be a ‘prisoner’? In what whey is she different from
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