Analyse af 'Mount Pleasant'

The short story Mount Pleasant by Mary-Louise Buxton, written in 2005, explores a young girl’s experience as her family moves into a new home. Through the childlike perspective of the girl, the story mixes everyday life with a growing uneasy feeling. Through Buxton’s narrative technique and style of language, she creates a vivid and emotional portrayal of childhood memories and fears.

The short story is told through a first-person view, which has the reader experience the story through the eyes of the young girl. This narration technique gives the story a more personalized tone and helps one understand the feelings of the young girl better. As readers, we are let in on her thoughts and feelings, which contributes to making the thought train of the young girl feel more authentic and realistic to her age. ““Mammy’ll take to me with a wooden spoon if she catches me up in the attic” (p. 1, l. 1). This shows her curiosity as well as her awareness of the strictness her mother puts upon her. The young girl can be characterized as sensitive and observant as well as having a wild imagination. The story starts out in medias res with the young girl exploring the attic looking for things to play with, like rope for her go-kart or dress-up clothes for the plays she writes with her best friend Susan. However, she also feels the darkness and weight of the attic. “You can feel the whole weight of the house up here pressing heavy down on you – like being buried” (p, ll. 13–14). This metaphor shows one how the house affects the young girl emotionally and physically.