Analyse af Polly Clarks novelle 'Reconciliation'

ReconciliationThe short story ”Reconciliation” was written in 2006 by Polly Clark. The story starts in medias res, where the reader is plunged into the events and quickly forced to understand the setting and people. The fact that the narrator herself tells her story gives an insight into her world and what thoughts she had and has today, and thus helps characterizing her as a person. - The story is told by a first person narrator. This is a woman named Laura. She says that it was her first day as a temp in a company. She therefore tries to make a good impression of herself. Here she gets an idea to make her day easier: “I’m wearing the clothes I slept in. It saved me 20 minutes this morning and meant I could sleep a little longer. My outfit is a skirt and lycra top so there’s no creasing, so who would know?”. Already here we get to know all about Laura and her brilliant ideas. It appears that she is a person who does not lead an organised life. When she arrives at the new work she comes into the office and describes the place as follows: “It’s a bunker in hazardous beige. The soles of my feet toil across the industrial carpet. The desks are lined up like cars in a jam, each with a driver who never looks up. There’s no sound except the clicking of computer keys and my feet, flailing across the carpet". It seems that Laura does not feel that she fits well into this environment as it appears to be very impersonal. A while later she realises that it's all loosened up a bit: “Here and there, tinsel has been wrapped around the edges of desks and hung around whatever is on the wall: a fire extinguisher, a health and safety notice. I warm up a little". But it is still not such a perfect place. She feels that there may be a possibility that she can adapt herself to the new environment. - Laura meets the manager, whose name is Vernon. She compares him to a turtle without its carapace - he is a man who is unsure of himself and easily injured. This is also seen: “His arms in his shiny blue shirt are curved protectively around his papers, as if all of us, being human, are prone to cheating”. This shows how little he trusts people and is always trying to protect what is his from all others. It may also mean that he is starting to become a strong man. They meet and he tells the fat girl from personnel, who took Laura up to the manager's desk, that Laura is his wife. Here he tries to characterize Laura by commenting on her choice of shoes. Laura thinks: “I hope he realizes how much planning, thought, how much normality it took for me to be here today. I hope he understands what it means, the seriousness with which I take him, and us”. This tells that she is disappointed with some things that happened in their relationship. Perhaps she feels that she has done everything to make their relationship work well, but he did not appreciate it. Though she accuses him it appears that she is still proud that she is his wife - Mr. Pringle's wife.