Analyse af Hilary Taylors novelle 'Sea Defences'

Guilt is a horrible feeling that most people have probably felt or still feel. "Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather The multitudinous seas incarnadine" This quote from the play Macbeth written by William Shakespeare, describes the feeling of guilt and how our guilt can eat us up from inside. Shakespeare asks if the sea will ever be able to wash him clean and forgive him for his sins, but then answers his question with a no, because he cannot get around his deed. This same feeling is also contained by the protagonist Michael in the short story "Sea Defenses". "Sea Defenses" is a short story written by the author Hilary Taylor and was released in the year 2018. This short story reflects the injustice that people with mental problems are exposed to and shows the reader how difficult and traumatic it can be to be judged for something you have not done, but without the opportunity to explain yourself due to mistrust.

The short story explores the theme of guilt through the main protagonist Michael. Michael experiences guilt after seeing the death of Hannah Bird, but keep telling himself that he saves children, so it isn’t his fault. "Children wander off. If they didn't have someone like me to watch out for them, they'd end up like Hannah Bird" (ll.28-29). In this quote, Michael's guilt is expressed, which he diligently tries to hide by creating his own job, as handling of the problem. The trauma follows him through the rest of his life and guilt is his motivation for walking up and down the beach and caring for the children for 29 years. The title of the short story describes both symbolically and Michael's guilt. The title is called "Sea Defenses" and therefore literally describes how his mother died by falling on the sea defences and Hannah Bird who dies because Michael took her behind the defences. The title also symbolized the defences he has set up to protect himself. Michael has invented his own job to make sure children are not harmed and he has been doing this for 29 years to prevent his inner guilt. Michael is being characterized as an older man with mental health problems due to an incident with Hannah Bird that he witnessed. He lives with his mother close to the sea and we as readers know that his mother supported him in everything and always waited to smile for him when he sat at the station. "I'll always look after you," she said"" (l.76). It indicates that the mother has taken care of him after he developed this trauma disease and that even though people look at his work differently, she knows that he wants people the best. Michael's interior is characterized as mentally unstable or a supporter of a mental illness. He sees the world very childishly and this is seen, among other things, by the fact that he still called his mother "Mumma" despite his age.