In the National Gallery
”In the National Gallery” is a short story by Doris Lessing form 2007. The themes in the story are that older are more patient than younger, a person can be attracted by another without showing it, and you must follow the time otherwise it can become ugly.

The narrator is first person point of view “She was the boss girl in this group, even if nit officially a head girl or monitor” (page 3, line 43). The narrator has an objective sight, but the narrator reflects and interprets what he sees. Therefore gets the reader a subjective view on the text. Because it is his thoughts we read. “Her eyes focused, on the great brilliant horse, so close, towering there on the golden canvas, on his hind legs.” (page 4, line 102) The French girl did not say anything about the horse; therefore can the narrator not tell what the French girl thinks about the horse. We only get the narrator thoughts therefore the narrator becomes unreliable.

Strubbs horse is a symbol of the older man. “But then a man sat down, on the other side of the bench’s arm and he leaned forward, elbows on knees, and locked hard at the horse” (Page 1, Line 19). Before had the horse an important role in the society. Every great leader in history has sat on a horseback, because it was a strong, powerful, and fast. Now we only use the horse as a hobby. When the older man was young he was a strong and marvellous man. He cut pick up a sixteen-year-old girl when he just where twelve years old. ”She was sixteen, like this one here” - “And you?” – “I was twelve” (page 3, line 74. Now he is invisible, and the France girl dose not gives the man any attention. She just sees through him.

The older have more patient than the younger. “I would find one large enough to be seen well from the middle of the room, and I would sit quietly and look at it” (page 1, line 2). In the text are the younger people impatient. They only sees at the painting for a short time and then move one to the next. Some of them dose not at all give the pictures any attention. While the older people at the gallery have the patient to sit and study the same picture for a whole hour. It shows that different age groups have different focus points.

A girl can be attracted by an older man without showing it. The girl reminds the old man of a girl from his youth. He was twelve and the girl was sixteen and he felled in love described as “She’s like a girl I was in love with once” (page 3, line 71). Despite the difference in age he thought that she could be his girlfriend since “grand passions not should be bounded by some silly “cliché” (page 4, line 81). Furthermore he invited her to see “The Third Man”. One of the scenes in “The Third Man” is that the girl in the movie simply ignores her admirer in order to make him jealous. In other words a girl can be attracted by an older man without showing it.

The French girl is maybe attracted by the older man. After the girl wake up sitting at the bench she is focussing at the Stubbs chestnut horse. It is obvious that she could admire the strength of the horse described as “Her eyes focused, on the great brilliant horse, so close, towering there on the golden canvas, on his hind legs” (page 4, line 112). Conversely it could be the observation and assessment by the narrator since it is described that “Her face did not reveal what she was thinking” (page 4, line 113). Obviously there is described a connection between the French girl and the older man visualized trough Stubbs chestnut horse. Before leaving the museum it is described that there is some connection between the French girl and the older man ”... now she was face to face with the man who for the third time had drawn her – or his memories had – towards him” (page 5, line 144).

The French girl does not admit any connection to the older man. Shortly after focussing at the picture the French girl waved at the group and they were acting with disrespect for the picture of the horse meaning that the French girl would not admit or show any attraction for the horse and for the older man.

There is a risk of failure if persons do not follow the time. At the end of the story the older man intend to follow the French girl inspired by the memories and the acting of the girl. The narrator foresees that some critical situation can occur since the combination between an older man and a young girl can escalate. It is described as “There was a wildness in the air, unexpressed, and raw, and dangerous”. The combination of youthness and elderness and dreams and real life is critical if persons do not understand the settings.

The most important thing form the interpret is the parallel between the older man and the horse, both rise and falls in there life. The older man doesn’t follow the time, this put him in a critical situation. The horse was the most effective animal. Now we use the horse as a hobby.

The most important thing form the interpret is that his relationship with the other sex ands his development in the story is he start being a person who does not like his life because he copy everything and cannot think by himself, but after Ginny has been at home he start to write like a real author. It ends with he starts to cry because he is writing down great stuff, plus he is so happy for him self that it is finally over with periods he could write anything.