Chickens by Barbara Clarke essays

Chicken's by Barbara Clarke essays In the story Chickens by Barbara Clarke there are many themes including jealousy, abuse, relationships and depression. As the reader I think that the main theme of this story is depression. In this essay I will show in detail how the writer has explored this theme in the text. The story is in the first person narrative and is about the thoughts and feelings of the narrator after she had killed her husband. As a child she was very unhappy at home, she was shouted at and sometimes sent to bed without her tea. She was also unhappy at school because she had a lot to be envious of, especially other girls in her class, they were picked up by their Mothers at home time. As an adult she started to work in a chicken factory where her job was to kill chickens, she did not enjoy her job because of this and also because of the way her boss treated her. She felt that her husband did not love or care for her, he had beaten her making her feel insignificant and unloved. With the story being in the first person narrative, this giving the story a confessional feel to it, the reader understands what the narrator thinks and feels about herself. Throughout this piece of text the narrator talks about her unhappy past. She compares her personality as a child to how she feels about herself as an adult, I was such a nice girl, wasnt that what they said. This quote shows that the narrator doesnt see herself as others see her, being a pleasant character. From her childhood she had been treated as worthless disappointment and had began to believe that she was. The reader acknowledges these feelings through the way she puts herself down. She seems to consider that her personal qualities are not worth anything. Didnt make a difference, didnt get me one of those nice jobs. She feels disappointed in herself and is very unhappy with the job she has. Although the narrator was a well-behaved girl it di...