Using this extract as your starting point, you should:
• Explore Doyle’s development of the voice of the child narrator here to convey changes in his attitudes and perspective.
• Examine how Paddy’s voice changers as the novel progresses to reveal his developing awareness and maturity and how this relates to his changing circumstances.

Towards the beginning of the extract, Doyle uses a simile to show Paddy’s simplistic imagination and comparison to things, “His laugh was a noise he started and stopped like a machine.” These simple similes, as well as “like a dragon” on pg.3, show paddy likes to explain things visually – by using descriptive pictures and images. This may suggest he is too immature to use sophisticated vocabulary and finds explaining things in a more adult way too hard. Furthermore, the use of the word “machine” emphasizes Paddy’s fascination with “boyish” things – football, violence etc. This could also show that Paddy is still interested into violence, loud noises and things associated with machines – suggesting why that particular simile is used, because it involves things Paddy is passionate about. Paddy’s perspective is fairy basic here; he sees things quite obviously and doesn’t look deeper or further.
Repetition is used to show Paddy is observant of what people don’t see/realise,” he didn’t know” and “he didn’t know that either”. The repetition shows that Paddy is aware of situations and notices smaller things that are less obvious. This is more developed than the simile – which showed a more simple and immature side. The context is about Charles Leavy, so the repeated talk of Leavy suggests Paddy is quite obsessed with him. He is interested in Charles Leavy and is aware of what he does or doesn’t know. Paddy seems to like characters like Leavy, ones that are brave, popular and males. This implies he is looking for dominant role a model that he may feel is lacking from his own Da. Here, Paddy has shown a greater understanding of being mature- he doesn’t just base his ideas of obvious things, he is more observant and understands situations better.
Doyle represents Paddy to be fairly confident and a show-off, “It was a Major, the cigarette; the strongest.” The use of the parenthetic clause “the cigarette” boats that Paddy is smoking – look an older person might do. Doyle may be using this to signify that Paddy is starting to think he is more like an adult – mature and does adult-like actions/activities. Paddy also wants to boast that he’s smoking as he thinks it’s makes him look cool like one of his role models Charles Leavy. The use of the parenthetic clause could be seen in another view, he is using it to remind himself he is smoking like Charles Leavy. He can’t believe he is truly doing it and is reminding himself that it’s real and that he isn’t pretending. This shows Paddy’s attitudes have changed, he is trying to impress and act like his role models by doing mature things. He wants to change from his young ways and may use things like this episode to brag to his old friends, like Kevin, that he is now more mature then him now.
Lastly, the contrast between the beginning, “He terrified me. He was there, all by himself” and the end, “I’d made it.”, almost show the journey of maturity that Paddy has developed in. The short simple sentences used at the beginning are to show that Paddy is scared and intimidated by Leave. He’s using short sentences as he can’t put into words what he really feels, he is almost in awe of Leavy and feels uneasy in his presence. This shows he is quite immature as he just wants to impress people and isn’t confident enough to be himself. However, the short simple sentence at the end,” I’d made it”, signifies Paddy’s change of maturity. The short simple sentence contrasts with the beginning one, he braved through his terror and came out the other end feeling satisfied and like he had done what he wanted to achieve – impress Charles Leavy; his role model. I think this contrast shows that from the beginning to the end, Paddy’s attitudes changed from being dependent on impressing people, to being able to feel more confident.
At the beginning of the novel, Paddy only cares about fitting in and impressing people,” I just wanted to hurt him. His eyes were closed now as well but the tears were getting out… It went like a dragon.” The use of this simple simile and hyperbole show Paddy’s immaturity -instead of worrying about his brother in pain, he is too focused on the fascination of it symbolising/ looking like a dragon. Paddy often hurts his younger brother to look cool in front of his friends – showing the age patriarchy he has over his younger brother and using it to his own advantage. At this point in the novel, Paddy acts like his friends; constantly trying to compete and be the best. He is quite unaware of family problems this early on and is immature.
Later on in the novel, Doyle uses parallism to show his start of maturity and change of perspective, “No one jumped in. No one said anything. No one moved.” Here, Paddy is realising that his friends aren’t there for him; they don’t stick up for him. Throughout the novel Paddy has always had some problems with his friendship group, like Kevin, but now he has truly realised that he might be on his own. The change of friendship signifies the martial breakdown – as Paddy and his friendship group are gradually falling apart, his parents are arguing more frequently. Paddy is becoming aware that he needs to escape from his violent friends, just like he’s realising he wants to escape from breakup of his parents. He is becoming more mature and slowly realising that family are more important than his friends are.
At the end of the novel Paddy is mature and realises who is important in his life,” Why did people not like each other? I hated Sinbad. But I didn’t.”, the use of the rhetorical question almost echo’s Paddy’s mind – he is now trying to think of why he doesn’t like Sinbad and why his Da doesn’t like his Ma. This shows his new maturity as he is thinking about things from a different perspective and realising the things he done like bully his brother, were stupid. The one line paragraphs show that Paddy is finally admitting he likes his brother, but he doesn’t want to go into depth about it. This could suggest that he is a bit ashamed about admitting he likes Sinbad, but he is still mature enough to realise that he does. At this point, Paddy has come a long way, and he is trying to figure out why certain things in his life didn’t work out, like the martial breakdown. This is why Paddy feels he needs to admit his feelings, as he doesn’t want to make the changing circumstances like the breakup worse. Paddy is fully aware of the circumstances and situations in his life, but he has a more mature view over it now – which could be why he is admitting he finally does like his younger brother.