Analyse af Kate Marsh's novelle 'School Run'

To be yourself can seem difficult at times in a world of norms. Difficult when your personality doesn’t satisfy standards based on people surrounding you. If you choose to stay true to yourself, by not hiding who you really are, then there’s a big risk of being expelled or having to deal with people looking down on you. Some individuals are brave enough to swim against the tide in spite of the consequences that may follow. One of these brave personalities is the character Magnus in the short story, “School Run” 2013, written by Kate Marsh. Magnus is a nerd with a huge passion for science and he doesn’t care about the prejudices of his wife’s friends and family. However, as growing older the circumstances changes while he manages to stay true to himself. In this case, it appears as a clever decision to make as the surroundings now develops an interest within the world of science.

The first person narrator is a female who takes us with her through her journey of life. Her journey can be divided into four stages: her childhood, then the years of her teens, then growing older and at last being an adult with kids and husband. Her point of view of her present husband Magnus is dominating during the short story; therefore, Magnus must be the main character. The couple encounters each other from a very young age and right from the start the narrator turns out to admire him: “I develop a crush on him while he’s teaching me to read by spelling…“ (ll. 2-3, p. 1). During her childhood, her mother admires his impressive skills highly. As they grow older, she points out at his lack of normality and connects it with him being the wrong husband for her beloved daughter. The friends of the narrator seem just as skeptical about Magnus, opposite her they don’t appreciate his exceptional qualities because they prefer superficial ones instead. What turns out to be ironic and just as humorous is the turning point of the short story. It is described as the world around them is changing its attitude according to the world of science - suddenly it is considered cool to be smart. However, the married couple have maintained that mindset through their whole life.