The story “A Journey” by Colm Tóibin deals with a mother’s inner thoughts about her son, whosuffers from depression and her husband who is paralyzed.The main character is called Mary. The story takes place in a car. Only Mary and her twenty yearold son are present. Mary has just picked David up from the hospital and they are headed home. Theatmosphere is very awkward and uncomfortable. David does not want to talk to Mary who isdesperately trying to get him to talk to her (p. 2 line 3 “David had refused to sit in the front seatbeside her and would not talk to her”.) Mary does not remember when David´s illness first startedto show and therefore Mary finds it hard to understand how and why it has happened. She wondersif her and Seamus are to blame for the way David has turned out - (p.2 line 28-30 “(…) her mindbegan to slip back until she found that she was trying once again to pinpoint the day it had started,the day she first noticed that David has grown beyond their reach and become sullen andwithdrawn” … “were they to blame, she and Seamus (…)”. She feels guilty for David’s illness.The story starts off with a flashback were David is about 4 year old. The flashback gives us animpression of David as a child so that we can interpret how seriously his development has been.(P.2 line 20-21“(…) he would smile again and follow her around asking her questions or, when hewas older telling her what had happened to him at school”). Later, as I mentioned before, we aretold that David in the presents suffers from depression. So by giving us information about David asa child and as a grown up the narrator underlines the difference and therefore we are forced tonotice it.“The old narrow road” is a symbol of how Mary experiences David’s depression. It is long and it isdark. She has to concentrate to drive carefully even though she knows it very well. This is similar toher relationship with David. She has known him all his life, but now it is dark and the light is faraway. P.2 line 23-24 “Even though she knew the road very well, she had to drive slowly” - Thisalso indicates that Mary has to move slowly forward when it comes to David and take her time withhim, so that “the road won’t be dangerous” and that there will be progress.