Essay grid: Introduction – a good way to get started is to briefly introduce the main theme of the text in a way that catches the reader’s attention. | The story is about fortunes and material wealth. The narrator of the story has been pickpocketing since he was five and has lots of money hidden in a cardboard box in the room the narrator has rented. One Sunday he sees a man with a bulging wallet and decides to follow the man and his son. When the narrator sees his moment to steal the wallet, he takes it and gets away. But when he comes back the boys stands against a wall and the narrator takes him with him home. | Characterisation of the main character. Useful links:1) General advice on characterisation2) Advanced advice | The Narrator: Has been pickpocketing since he was five. Has a “fortune” of money hidden in his apartment, but he do not count the money. The narrator has never counted his fortune, because he is afraid of knowing waht he is worth. He grew up with his mom, who tried to raise him good. His father was not very good and did not give him any attention as a kid and when he died, the narrator was not sad. He has a strong sympathy for the kid and keeps telling the boy how much he is worth. He also likes Chinese fortunes a lot and keeps every single one of them in a box. He describes himself as ugly with crooked teeth, oily hair and bony knees. The boy: He is described as quiet and very unhappy. He does not like his home, and when the narrator drops him off, he does just stand still and do not go home. His father yells a lot of him, when he walks to slow or want to tie his shoes. | The style and point of view.Useful links:1) YouTube clip about point of view2) Types of point of view | The story is written in first person point of view. This gives the reader a deep insight in the thought of the narrator, but also hides the thought of the boy. This is very subjective, and we can not always trust our narrator in the telling of the story. Joy Monica uses an un-formal language for the main character. Example; “I heard myself talking, and I swear I sounded like a stinking kidnapper”. The style of the text is therefore un-formal and very neutral. It is loose, and this gives the reader an impression of a very careless person, which does not make everyday something special. In his novel Joy Monica uses a characteristic style of writing. It is a main stylistic feature of the writers text that it retains a simple sentence structure almost throughout. On the one hand, the result of this sentence structure is that the text comes across as fairly readable. | The main theme.Useful links:1) YouTube clip with a list of common themes (best to keep the sound down!)2) Useful page - how to write about themes | I think that the writer, Joy Monica, wants to compare material love with real love. In the story the narrator has lots of money, but do not care for them. He do not spend them, but when he meets this boy at the fish market he becomes very emotional and want to make the boy feel better about himself. He keeps telling the boy how much he is worth, and expresses some sort of care for the boy. Therefore I think that sorts of love is the main theme in the text. The father to the boy is more careful with his bag with fish then of his own son, which he just pinches the boys arm (page 2, line 57-60). In the end of the text the narrator thinks about how a father can care more about his wealth and materials, when he has a fortune like his son. The theme could also be about loneliness. The reader do not read about any friends or close family to the narrator, and maybe he feels lonely. The boy he takes with him home also feels alone and together they found a common pleasure in the Chinese fortunes. | The title.In this paragraph focus on how the title is connected to the overall thematic. Often, the title can be interpreted in several ways. | The title is “A fortune” and connects with the theme about the sorts of love. Respective the love for material and the love for people. You can have a fortune of money like our main character, but he does not care about the money and do not use them. When he meets the boy he becomes aware of the other sort of love; Love for a person. Which he has not felt in his life because of the lack of affection from his mom and father. He has not felt love before he meets the boy, which he thinks is a lot more worth than money. The narrator never counts the money he gets from “Pop” or the money he has saved in his cardboard box, because he is afraid of knowing how much he is worth. The narrator does not believe in material love like money. The title may refer to the two types of fortunes that a represented in this text and which also is the main theme for the text. | Conclusion. A good conclusion summarises the main points of the essay and leaves the reader with a sense of closure. | The story is about a pickpocketing-thieve, which has been stealing since he was five. He meets a boy and discovers a new sort of love which he has not felt before. Through un-formal language and neutral Joy Monica wants the reader to be aware of the “fortune” that also can be found in children or other people. That a fortune not always is a measure of money. That you can become rich on love. |