Elephant

How is it possible to fulfil your biggest dream when everything is against you? As humans we are all build with dreams, hopes and desire. However, it is not always possible to succeed in the things you want the most. It is a question of happiness. Moreover, this so-called happiness can occur in dissimilar ways and is, individually, let by ones personal desire. Conversely, when everything you dreamt of doesn’t go the way you planed, it will feel like living in a bocks. You will isolate yourself from the rest of the world, while hoping that you’re life soon will begin. It will, in worst cases feel as if you’re life is on stand-by.

The Story Elephant by Polly Clark opens in media res, as we get sucked right in to it. We are suddenly standing in the dark room where William is sitting by the computer surrounded by notes and facts. Already in the beginning of the text, it is revealed that William has a difficulty with his writing: “This inability to write a word had gone on for weeks”. Furthermore one becomes aware of the strange and depressing atmosphere in the room where William is sitting: “The house was quiet. It was early afternoon… The curtains of his study glowed with brilliant sunshine” The story is told by a third person narrator, however, we hear a lot about Williams thoughts throughout the story, and therefore we immediately identify us with him. William writes biographies of pop-singers, witch he isn’t pleased about. He would have preferred to write about the film stars, but wasn’t quick enough and therefore, he has devoted his life writing about these superficial idols.

The story is set over a normal afternoon in William’s live. While reading the story, one begins to feel sorry for him, seeing that we her how his writing is being taking for granted and described as something of unimportance. What's more we hear how William dreams of being a respected writer like Leo Tolstoy and James Joyce, even though he knows that this dream isn’t to be fulfilled. Yet again, William isn’t pleased with his work of living, so he begins to gaze at the good things towards his writing, even though it doesn’t interest him at all: “if you care too much for you’re subject you’re little book might not be able to accommodate all you really wanted” . The fact that William didn’t succeed in doing what he wanted for a living, he contentedly dreams away with desire and lives in his own strange world of fantasies and broken dreams, where things like a flashback memory from his childhood is the best that he knows of.

William’s wife Ginny works at an office, while William works at home. This also tells us how William is devoted to his work, and is isolated in the dark room where the curtains are pulled. Their relationship seems superficial, as Ginny quickly comes home from work so that they can make children, and afterwards leaves the house again. Ginny knows that William is just sitting at home writing his unimportant stuff, and therefore she expects him to be ready for her arrival within twenty minutes, even though, the fact that William isn’t keen on it: “Well done, darling”, she said. Then, “I know this isn’t much fun for you””.

In addition to Williams boring and superficial life, there is an episode from his childhood that we hear about through a flashback. William is at the age of six, and gets a blue elephant from his mother. We hear how he is filled with excitement and happiness, as his mother plants the wrapped object on his lap: “And then… a squeal of excitement, her arms around him and something placed on his lab… he remembered now – a blue elephant”. However, this memory is not to be compared with his boring life as it is today. Day by day he lives by routines. This is revealed by the way his wife Ginny comes home almost without the need of saying anything, as if it has happened many times before. In spite of this, Ginny at least gets out of the house during the day, while William just has to sit at home.

It is cleat that William’s life hasn’t turned out as he had planed. As a result of this, William steps out the bocks, and starts writing something out of character about the pop-star Christine. William has now decided to refrain from the boring biography writing, and is now writing what he feels for. Therefore, to set the story “Elephant” into a bigger perspective, I have chosen to compare it with the text “Introduction on the 1999 edition of the Pillars of the earth” by Ken Follet. Both of the story’s deals with writers in the book business who are meant to stay in there “bocks”, even though it is not what their dreams want them to do. In addition to this, we can also compare “Elephant” with the picture of Britney Spears. As I look at the picture, it is clear that I have seen her face a lot of times before. Her face seems very familiar, and it feels as if I know her amazingly well. However, this is only on the surface, since I have never spoken to her - not even met her. Being a pop-star everything becomes superficial and outward. People thinks they now you, but really they don’t. As soon as you stop singing or performing, you become forgotten – just like Sandie in “Elephant” who had a tragic accident. For William the superficial life of the pop-stars such as Britney Spears is his everyday life. With the purpose of this, at the end of the story William breaks out of the black hole where he had been sitting for all to long, and decides to plant his name in Christine’s biography before his name had vanished from the face of the earth.

William was like everybody else. Build with dreams, hopes and desire. However, he didn’t succeed in finding the main thing that he really wanted before it was too late. The fact that people perceived Williams writing as unimportant was a huge turn off. Conversely, for William it felt like living in a bocks were everything he dreamt of didn’t go the way he had planed. He chose to isolate himself from the rest of the world, while hoping that his life soon will begin – hoping that someone would push the stand-by button before it was to late. In the End William took this issue a pond himself, and decided to step out of the bocks.

B:

Elephant

An ending is a very important part of the story. It can reveal a whole lot, or chose not to reveal anything at all. In that way the readers are left with an empty mind. In “Elephant” the main character William chooses to end his stories with a memorable ending, so that he will be remembered: “He finished their stories in whatever way occurred him”. Therefore it is of great importance how one chooses to make an ending, since it can change everything. For example in the story “Mr. Lovedays little outing”, it makes a huges turn at the end. This leaves the readers with a wondering.

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