Analyse af Clair Anderson-Wheelers novelle 'Vernissage'

Vernissage is shot story written by Clair Anderson-Wheeler in 2008. This shot story is about to gain insight adults world. The Main character in this story is Alex and his parents Frances and John. Alex is a small boy. I think he is about 8-9 years old and may go to 2nd grade. He has his own fantasy world, because when his mom mentions that she is going to Vernissage he thinks (line 32) “It sounded like a person that was how Alex liked to think of it: Vernie Sadge”. Alex seems very unconfident and quit. It seems like he is extremely controlled by his mother. By that I mean that he has to do whatever his mother says to him. Like when he was eating his sandwich and suddenly when he thought about his childhood memories and started to peel in his sandwich to see it inside, his mother said he should stop. But at the same time it looks like she is also very protective and at the other very reserved. She is protective when she is picking him up from school, and reserved because she gives more time to her social life rather than to her Alex. You can see it when Alex mention that he Anne- Marie call him Ally which he doesn’t like, and again we gets to know she is very controlling mom when Alex says (line 79 to 81) “he heard his mother’s voice downstairs, calling him. She properly wanted him to do his homework, but it was better doing it when Anne- Marie was there: she just blinked instead of checking it properly”. When his mother does things like that, the reader gets a bad impression about her. And talking about Alex mother then it not only Alex who gets controlled, but also his father John. Alex parents relationship seems very everyday’s routine and very tense. The chemistry between them is very mysterious. The way they communicate to each other is very mysterious (line 109 to 112) “How are you feeling tonight?” “Ok. It should all go OK, I think”. “Of course it will be great, John”. “Mm”. It’s like John is physically present, but emotionally away. He seems very worried, but at the same doesn’t show it to Frances. There is point of time where Alex mom is going to change, and suddenly Alex’s father goes into to the bathroom for washing his teeth, and then when he comes out and suddenly its quit for some seconds, and in middle of this, Alex’s parents are close to each other. This must mean that they are kissing each other, and the reason John washed his teeth, was because Frances wanted it. And maybe John always washes his teeth; otherwise Frances will not allow him to close to her. That shows that Frances controlling toward his husband. The theme of this shot story is to gain insight adults world and misunderstand something. When Alex is hiding under the bed, he sees another face of his parents. He hears his parent’s conversation, which seems like he can’t follow their conversation. He doesn’t understand why they are talking like two strangers. When his parents come close to each other he doesn’t get it. (Line 142 to 145) Alex watched his mother walk over to his father. She seemed stiff- was she holding her breath? Alex realized he was holding his breath, maybe that was it. His father didn’t move. He coughed thought. The woman stopped. Alex could see up to their shoulders, but no faces”. Not that he doesn’t like them coming close to each other, but it’s that he doesn’t understand why adult come close to each other. It is the same he used to kiss his mom when he was younger? Or something else? He still don’t know, so when his father leaves and his mother goes into bathroom, he runs direct to his own bathroom and start to wash his teeth. Somehow it seems that he thinks that he (Alex) can do the same thing or kiss if I have to explain it properly, with his mom like his father did. But actually what his father did, was because he physically want her and maybe also emotionally, but in Alex case; he wants his mom mentally. And he don’t understand that yet, how to love someone and in which case. There is this symbol which is wish-wish-wish. This was the sound of washing teeth. And this sound gets repeat twice. First time when John washes his teeth and second at the end when Alex washes his teeth. And why it happens, that I have explained right before.