...A The Decline of the West Hanif Kureishi published “The Decline of the West” in 2010 in Collected Stories. The story deals with the modern western capitalistic society and which affects it has on family life. The materialistics values have marked the West, which affect the family life. The father in the history want the family to look good outwardly, even if the family is in disorder, specially between the father and the oldest son. The father, called Mark, obvious thinks that happiness is given by material amenities, but instead the family bond falling apart. In the story we meet the father Mark, his wife Imogen and their common children Tom and Billy. We meet Mark immediately after he has been fired and arrives to his house. Mark is used to working late and because of the firing he has a complicated relationship to his family. The family has also been used to have their material things, but after Mark has been fired, the family must get used to live the more poor life, which would be a problem since the to boys already talks about they want to live somewhere else, a place which is more bigger just like there classmates. The two boys are used to get what they point out, but still the boys feel they are being neglected by their parent, maybe because Mark show his love to his boys through material values. Mark isn’t the typically family man if you ask his family. Mark just get fired and it’s hard to tell his wife, especially because he has a problem with women who...
Words: 1104 - Pages: 5
...The Decline of the West “The Decline of the West” is a short story written by Hanif Kureishi who is an acclaimed English writer. Hanif Kureishi was born and grew up in England as the son of a Pakistan father and British mother. The short story “The Decline of the West” is about a man loosing his job. After years with more than 12 hours work per day, he gets fired, and is excited to see his family and relax. But the family does not feel the same joy as him. The short story is written with a reliable third person narrator. The story takes place in the main characters house situated on the comfortable outskirt of London. The house is with five floors and off-street parking, overlooking a green. The story last for one day in a contemporary environment with TV’s, dishwashers and controllers. There are four characters involved in the short story, Mike, Imogen, Tom and Billy. Mike is the main character, and Imogen, Tom and Billy are subordinate characters. Mike is forty-five years old, and is married to Imogen. Together they have two kids, Tom and Billy. Mike has been fired the same day the story takes place, and now he seems weak. “How easy it was to fall, and how tempting it was – suddenly would be best – to die!” Caused by the financial crisis he has been forced to execute his 40 employees and himself during the period of two weeks. He is an effective man whom used to work at least 12 hours a day. Mike wants to appear generous, and therefore let his...
Words: 570 - Pages: 3
...The Decline of The West Short story by: Hanif Kureishi The Decline of the West is a short story written by the English, half Pakistani writer Hanif Kureishi in 2010. The main theme in the short story is the capitalism and how material we have become in the West in the year of 2010 and how we strive to gain material comfort ahead of true happiness and greater meaning in life. The short story’s main character is a forty-five year old man named Mike who is on his way home to his family. It takes place in the upper class of the outskirts of London. Mike thinks that his family will appreciate that he is home early from work, which is not something that occurs since he is not working less than twelve-hour shifts. Mike seems as a hard-working man who does not spend much time with his family and we get a very negative picture of his family. There is a very cold attachment between him and he family since he is never home. But they can be demanding and the content that fills up their lives is material goods. At the short beginning the atmosphere and language is described very positive. Mike has endured the most desolate tube trip home and is looking forward to come home to his family and their home which is described as a nice and warm home he is looking forward to come home to; “Opening the door to a warm hall hearing the voices of his wife and children”. Though he has to tell his wife, Imogen that he got fired from his job. The language is well written in informal language...
Words: 1090 - Pages: 5
...The Decline of the West What happens when you get fired from your job, come home to a domineering wife, a self-centered brat of a son and a second material-obsessed son, who all three boss you around making you do their dishes and buy them, what they see as, vital objects? That is right! You reconsider life, but decide to let it all go instead… or that is at least what Mike does in this short story. The short story, The Decline of the West by Hanif Kureishi, takes place in London, where we meet Mike’s family, which consists of his two sons, Tom and Billy, and his wife, Imogen. Mike was a twelve-hours-a-day, hard-working man, yet who is recently fired. Mike is significantly divided between traditional values and modern values. On the first hand he refuses to let his wife, Imogen, work, because he could not imagine a home without a mother, who makes sure the kids behave. “He shows me neither love nor respect.” also he demands respect from his family, even though he literally does not spend time at home, because of his job, however on the other hand he lets them all boss him around, probably because of his declaration of him being the only provider. The short story only elapses over a day; however this day seems to turn out as being the most horrible of Mike’s life. “”My television’s broken,” said Tom. “Why don’t you get it fixed like you promised? What have you ever done for me?”” This is in the middle of a discussion between Tom and Mike. Through-out the entire short story it...
Words: 828 - Pages: 4
...The Decline of the West Every family has its own problems, and sometimes we just feel like our own is the worst. But we never think about how others may feel, and there is always someone somewhere that has it far worse than what you do. However it can be rough, and bad times feel like the universe is going down. The situation is actually only that you are going through a fase in your life, and that it will go over soon. But it might be difficult to realize that when you are in it. Some people also do not realize how important love and the bond in the family is. Nowadays people care way too much about material things and the blame is probably on the society. In the text, “The Decline of the West” by Hanif Kureishi, we see a family situation of a father who actually tries to do a lot for his family, but they do not appreciate it. We follow the family from the minute the father gets home from work, and then throughout the evening, so it is chronologically built up. Mike, who is the main character in the story, starts out by telling what he would wish the family would turn out to be, but then we start hearing about his real life, and what issues he is dealing with. We hear about the problem he has with his food, the boys and then in the end what problem he has with his wife. She is a very difficult wife, and not at all what he really wanted her to be. His dream-family is actually the right opposite of what they are. He describes it as, “he´d been looking forward to opening the...
Words: 802 - Pages: 4
...The decline west In the short story of “The Decline west” of Hanif Kureishi, we meet a confused and restless man who’s passed down because of financial crisis and has been fired. They live in a big house on the outskirts of London. He fears the family's reaction of been fired, but he tries to bring the news to his wife Imogen, but she wouldn’t let him introduce a single words about it. The author has made use of third person limited narrator and knows what the main character Mike thinks and feels. Its mikes views we have presented and it’s his emotions and thoughts are passed. Therefore, is the narrator limited, in that sense that he doesn’t know what his wife and children’s thoughts and feelings are. As a reader, we get a personal perspective by Mike’s point of view, since we see everything from his side. Therefore, are we also more likely to have sympathy with him, as we see how his kids treat him as an ungrateful father, rather it’s also because we don’t know their side of the story. From Mike’s point of view, the family seems unreasonable and greedy with the comments and requirements the family express them with, in relation to the guitar. “You promised Billy a guitar (…), so now you have to deliver”. Mike sees himself as the "delivery man" or the “money-maker”, because he feels that he gives and gives but gets nothing in return. He feels the world is evil and unjust. He feels that he is the victim in the house now, as the family is using him. He expresses himself...
Words: 1028 - Pages: 5
...A crisis of values With the recent financial crisis, many private economies in the Western world have been affected. Families have had to face the fact that they can’t keep up the life style they have grown accustomed to. But could the recession be a wake-up call, an opportunity to see things in a different light and change disadvantageous behaviors? In his short story, “The Decline of the West”, Hanif Kureishi puts this theme on the agenda. After losing his income, a family father realizes that his family is highly dysfunctional and that his family members value his money more than anything else. The main character is a 45-year old man named Mike who works in corporate finance. Together with Imogen, his reproachful and discontent wife, he has two sons of 15 and 11 years. Mike sees himself as a hard-working man and works at least 12 hours a day. He has provided his family with a nice house in a good neighborhood, an au pair and all sorts of material goods, but still no one is happy. The story is told from Mike’s point of view which gives us an insight into his feelings and thoughts about himself as a provider for the family, “I paid for this with my time, intelligence, and the education the state provided me with” (ll. 18-19). We get the impression that Mike sees himself as a good man who gives and gives while his family is never satisfied, “As the boys liked to point out, other children at their school lived in bigger...
Words: 961 - Pages: 4
...The decline of the west is a short story written by Hanif Kureishi. The story is about a man who lives by the capitalistic values, but also experiences its weaknesses. The main character of the short story is a 45-year-old man called Mike. He lives outside of London with his wife and two children in a five-floor house. He works in corporate finance and makes a decent amount of money compared to the average citizen. Mike has always provided his family with everything they ever wanted and this have resulted in a very ungrateful son and wife. His youngest son does not yet show the same level of ungratefulness as the wife and eldest son does. Mike is a very patient and positive man, who seems to put his life in a more positive light than it is in reality. He has an expectation of his home to be a happy place, where he is able to relax and recharge: “He’d been looking forward to opening the door into the warm hall, hearing the voices of his wife and children (…)” . He has this dream of a life with a perfect wife and perfect children, where they all live in harmony and respect of one another. Through the short story though, he realizes that it is not the life he is actually living. In the beginning of the short story, there is a blackout in the house. He has been under a lot of pressure for so many years, and when he think he is going to die on the stairs, he suddenly feels some sort of release. This near-death experience changes Mikes way of looking at his world, and he realizes...
Words: 1127 - Pages: 5
...‘The Decline of the West’ is a short story written by Hanif Kureishi in 2010. It deals with themodern western capitalistic society and the affection it has on family life. The text questionsthe ethic aspects of the capitalism.In the short story, the materialistic values conquer personal relations. We are introduced toMike who comes home from work where he has been fired. He is used to working late andtherefore has a complicated relationship to his family whom he rarely sees. Mike has a debt ofalmost two years’ income which makes the firing a severe blow. The family wants to improvetheir material things, and that makes a high income an important factor. With no income, Mikeknows the family will not be able to keep up appearances, and eventually they will have tomove out of their five floor house on the outskirts of London. His two sons, Tom and Billy,already want to live somewhere else because most of their classmates live in bigger places.They are used to the upper class lifestyle with their parents working all the time and the aupair being the most regular person in their home. This creates an unhealthy and complicatedrelationship between the family members.The children are used to getting anything they want, but they have never understood why andhow that is possible. They do not respect their father, particularly the oldest son, Tom,because he does not think his father has done anything for him. What he does not understandis that if Mike does not work, they would not have been...
Words: 812 - Pages: 4
...The Decline of the West In todays world we are getting more and more materialized. When being a kid in school it is all about getting the newest phone, wearing the most expensive clothing and every other materialized thing, to show off how much money we have. We measure our happiness in things, clothes, cars and so on. The greed of getting more and new things is decreasing. Before the financial crises in 2008 every family lent money to buy new things all the time. No worries were to be shown in any family, until the crack happened. Nowadays the crisis has slowly turned around again and in school it’s still about collecting the newest items. In the short story from 2010 by Hanif Kureishi, the problem of greed and a materialized world is a central theme in the story. The main character in the short story “The Decline of the West” is man at 45 called Mike who works in the financial department. Mike is married with an unsatisfied woman called Imogen, he has to kids and they are living in a big house outside of London. He is rarely home and sometimes works more than 12 hours pr. day. He has an unsatisfied wife who quickly takes a bath when Mike is coming home from work, so she won’t face him. His youngest son Billy seems happy to see his father until it turns out he just wants to ask his father for a guitar: “I like you sometimes, Daddy. But I want guitar lessons. So first I’ll need the guitar and the amp, like Tom has” (p. 4 l. 74-76). Here the son even compare himself to his...
Words: 1072 - Pages: 5
...A: The Decline of the West All of us grow up with expectations. Go to school, get good marks, get a well-paying job, find a nice husband, have children and be happy. Are we fooled into thinking this is the lifestyle we’re all supposed to live? And will this even make us happy? In the short story The Decline of the West by Hanif Kureishi, the reader is introduced to a man who grew up with the exact same expectations forced upon him. After losing his job he realizes how unhappy he is, even though he followed every step society and his parents laid out for him. The short story takes place in the high end of London, where Mike lives with his family. They live in a large house with 5 stories and 4 bathrooms, yet Mike and Imogen’s two sons Billy and Tom do not think this is enough, because their school friends have bigger, better, faster houses, cars and so on. But they are fairly rich with a housemaid and au pair to take care of the children, when Mike is at work, and Imogen does her charity work. Mike is the main character and narrator of this short story. He is 45 and works every day to be able to afford this lifestyle, which he has been fooled into believing will make him happy. At one point Mike thinks about his father, the expectations and all the things in his life that has been laid out for him. And at first he seems to be grateful for the time, intelligence and the education the state provided me with, but it does not bring him happiness. “Mike you have been stalked...
Words: 1215 - Pages: 5
...Side / Antal ark i alt: Side 1 af 3 Eksamenstermin: Kursistens navn: Fag/niveau: Engelsk A Holdnr.: Dato: Eksamensnr.: Opgave A ‘The Decline of the West’ is a short story written by Hanif Kureishi in 2010. It deals with the modern western capitalistic society and the affection it has on family life. The text questions the ethic aspects of the capitalism. In the short story, the materialistic values conquer personal relations. We are introduced to Mike who comes home from work where he has been fired. He is used to working late and therefore has a complicated relationship to his family whom he rarely sees. Mike has a debt of almost two years’ income which makes the firing a severe blow. The family wants to improve their material things, and that makes a high income an important factor. With no income, Mike knows the family will not be able to keep up appearances, and eventually they will have to move out of their five floor house on the outskirts of London. His two sons, Tom and Billy, already want to live somewhere else because most of their classmates live in bigger places. They are used to the upper class lifestyle with their parents working all the time and the au pair being the most regular person in their home. This creates an unhealthy and complicated relationship between the family members. The children are used to getting anything they want, but they have never understood why and how that is possible. They do not respect their father, particularly the oldest son...
Words: 1251 - Pages: 6
...Reading the Novel in English 1950–2000 i RTNA01 1 13/6/05, 5:28 PM READING THE NOVEL General Editor: Daniel R. Schwarz The aim of this series is to provide practical introductions to reading the novel in both the British and Irish, and the American traditions. Published Reading the Modern British and Irish Novel 1890–1930 Reading the Novel in English 1950–2000 Daniel R. Schwarz Brian W. Shaffer Forthcoming Reading the Eighteenth-Century Novel Paula R. Backscheider Reading the Nineteenth-Century Novel Harry E. Shaw and Alison Case Reading the American Novel 1780–1865 Shirley Samuels Reading the American Novel 1865–1914 G. R. Thompson Reading the Twentieth-Century American Novel James Phelan ii RTNA01 2 13/6/05, 5:28 PM Reading the Novel in English 1950–2000 Brian W. Shaffer iii RTNA01 3 13/6/05, 5:28 PM © 2006 by Brian W. Shaffer BLACKWELL PUBLISHING 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK 550 Swanston Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia The right of Brian W. Shaffer to be identified as the Author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs, and...
Words: 123617 - Pages: 495
