Analyse af David Nichollss novelle 'Every Good Boy'

In the short story, “Every Good Boy”, by David Nicholls, the main character is eager to find something he is good at, despite numerous failures. Everything he wants is to impress his parents so much that he tries to find some explanation for his constant failures.

The protagonist of “Every Good Boy” is the narrator, who looks back at one of his most imprinted childhood memories. The boy is 9 years old by the time the event took place. He lives with his father, mother and two siblings. The narrator seems like a happy little boy, even though, he has not yet found something he is good at. The main character is aware of the fact, that his brother and sister each have discovered their area of expertise, while he is still to find it. He seems aware of his lack of talent, “At the age of nine, I was remarkable for being entire without ability. (…) Graceless, charmless, physically and socially inept, I lacked even the traditional intelligence of the nerdy” (ll. 9-13). Attempting to impress his parents, and avoid losing his confidence at the same time, he eagerly throws himself into the world of music. After receiving the chance to explore his musical potential on a piano, which his father and uncle had brought home, the boy chooses to take piano lessons with Mrs. Patricia Chin, an old lady from the neighborhood. His experience with Mrs. Patricia Chin becomes the focus of the story. The author has an entertaining writing style and he uses many exaggerations to make the text more entertaining and to emphasize the ridiculousness of the described situations. The protagonist is discouraged by his own mother,” I was killing her, she said, doing her head in. I was killing her.” (ll. 105-106), where his father on the other side seems to encourage him by telling him that “Everyone can do something”.