Jesper, Philip

Just below the surface

1. Divided in to Sections.
• First section: Being nervous, page one, line one to the end for the first part.
• Second section: Small intruders, page one, line 31 to page two line 26.
• Third section: The walk of shame, page two, line 27 to page four, line eleven.
• Fourth section: Rat infection, page four line twelve to page five, line three
• The Fifth section: Wanted help, received racism. Page five, line four to page six, line seven.
• The sixth section: Smart rats, page seven, line eight to page eight, line eighteen
• The eighth section: Rats become synonym with people, page eight, line nineteen to page nine,until the last line.

2. The kind of Narrator.
• The narrator is a first person narrator, who tells the story through her eyes; “I am what you might call a sound sleeper”, line one page one. “My legs felt wobbly I asked him how long he thought it would take”, page nine line three. The “I” and “MY” tells us that it a a first person narrator, and that we experience the story through her eyes.
  3. Characterization of Indrani.
• Indrani is a nervous lady, with a an Indian background, she is quite paranoid; “I am what you might call a sound sleeper”, page 128 line one. She wakes up to every sounds, even the sound of a little mouse/rat scratching in the kitchen downstairs. It is only a person who that is constantly on guard, that wakes up like that. Page 129, line 35: “ She looked funny in her rose pink sari” , Indies clothe. That is one prof of here being Indian. She cares a little to much about what other people thinks of her; “I sad up in my bed. It was mice! Here in our nice new home, I was hearing mice. I felt so ashamed. It was not that the kind of kitchen that should be having mice”. Page 128, line 34.
  4. The physical setting, where are we.
• We are placed in a suburb, in the upper class. The little family, Indiran, Kumar and their two kids have a store and a nice big semi-detached house. It is placed in one of the suburbs of London.
  5. The Rats symbolizes immigrants in UK; “They came over on the ship you see. From out east, so they say” Still you´d know all about that, I suppose. I have never been out east, as you put I,” I said a little frostily”. Page 132 , line 15
  6. Just below the surface
• Culture conflicts in modern society, it all just smoulders right under the surface.
  7. Themes of the Story.
• Immigration
• Culture conflicts
• Racism
• Prejudice