Number 40

In the story Number 40, it is clear that it is a third person point of view. The narrator talks about the main character as "she" and her by her name. We see that in following quotes, "Melissa hated forgetting things" (p. 1 l. 1) and "She watched raindrops chase each other down the bus window". This is two quotes where the narrator clearly uses third person of the main character. This is something that happens through the whole story, so the point of view doesn't change. Furthermore me can say that it is a limited narrator in some ways, because we don't know how the main characters deep emotions. On the other side we know how she is as a person, that she is forgetful and how she feel about her living fellow Simon, talking to the other girl Emma or Emily, who she clearly had forgot the name of because she is this forgetful. If we look on the setting, I will start give a characterizing of both Melissa and Simon. Melissa is confused and forgetful. She is also a bit jealous on Simons friend Emma or Emily from work. Furthermore you can say that she might be full of fantasy because she suddenly can't find her house or might even live in a fantasy world. On the other hand there is Simon, he is presented as superior, in that way he knows better, and she will always call him if there is something she can't remember, we see that in following quote "But couldn't remember the name. if she'd had her phone she would have called Simon, because he was good at things like that'. Even though he is not that helpful and we don't hear more about him in this story. Besides this setting, it is very rainy all the time, even when Melissa is making a flashback it was also rainy that day, when Emma/Emily visited them. This affects the story, because when it is raining you get in a bad mood or feels depressed, therefore the rain affects the story, because it already seems bad for her, because she is this forgetful, so it makes it look even worse. Another thing to look on is the language, which is from the present. This story could easily relate to now a days, that people are forgetful because they live in a whole different world with the new technology. This comes to a conclusion that a theme could be that we should be more awake and not a passive observer or something like that. In addition to the rain we see in the last lines "The rain started again.. Melissa looked down at her hands, which were so pale they were almost translucent, and thought again of Santorini and those bright white..". Again it begins to rain in a bad place, so therefore she begins to think at something nice which is the opposite of dark days and rain. Furthermore you can say there is a climax in the story. We see that in the end and in following quote. "I'm sorry, Melissa said. He looked at her blankly and she backed away. As he opened the door, Melissa glanced into the hallway and saw standing against the wall, a dark wooden table with spindly legs". This is a turning point in the story, because we think that it might be her home because of this table. The table could easily relates to her own table at the hallway at number 40, because that was a table she didn't like at all, and when she describes this table at the man's house it is not described as something she likes. if we look on some of the symbols in this text, there is the place Santorini which is a island north of Crete in Greece. This is a symbol of holiday, relaxing time, good days and something that is extraordinary, a vacation, which she wants. She uses this two times, the first time when she thinks of Simon and the second time in the end, where she just need something good to happen. So she uses this symbol when she is in bad mood or when she wants to go on vacation. Another symbol is the number 40. 40 is the number of their home address, but she can't find it. The special about 40 is that there is something named "fejl 40" which is a technologic term, that is used when the fault is 40 centimeters from the equipment, the user him/herself. This means that it is her that have made the fault, that it is her fault that she can't find where she lives. Another symbol could be this key, which is a thing she often forget "Melissa hated forgetting things. Wallet, umbrella, keys - their absence always left her feeling anxious and unbalanced". The key is something that locks things up, and in this story her key doesn't lock the house she finds up. This could be a symbol of her identity. That she is locked. She might be locked with her past, and her life. She is caught, locked in the house, locked with the ability to forget everything. The key symbolize an insecurity, that she is not safe and that she need help. Someone need to find the right key, so she can be locked out of this identity.