In 2012, Jackie Kay published her third collection of short stories Reality, Reality, which was immediately considered ranking amongst the best of the genre. This essay seeks to explore the meaning of the colours of age in the short story "These are not my Clothes".
Margaret is an elderly woman living in a retirement home where inhabitants are treated awfully – both physically and mentally. However, through the story’s witty and unreliable first-person narrator and the use of colour, the collection questions the societal concept of "the elderly" and the concomitant fear of age and growing old.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- The Colours of Age in Jackie Kay's 'These Are Not My Clothes'
- Deconstructing the Concept of Age
- Margaret's Colourful Mosaic of Life
- The Red Cardigan and Soup
- Reframing the Perception of Age
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This essay analyzes Jackie Kay's short story "These Are Not My Clothes" from her collection Reality, Reality, focusing on the story's use of color to challenge societal perceptions of aging and the identity of the elderly. It examines how the protagonist, Margaret, constructs her own colorful mosaic of life, refusing to be reduced to the singular identity factor of "age."
- The deconstruction of the concept of age as a negative or limiting factor
- The fluidity of identity and the refusal to be categorized by a single label
- The power of perception and the subjective nature of reality
- The exploration of color as a symbolic tool for representing emotions, identity, and social experiences
- The use of humor and irony to address the challenges of aging and institutionalized care
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The essay delves into the ways in which the story utilizes color to portray the protagonist's perception of the world. Margaret, an elderly woman living in a retirement home, actively resists the label of "elderly" by constructing a vibrant and nuanced view of her surroundings. Through her detailed observations of colors, she demonstrates her independence and resilience, refusing to conform to the expectations imposed upon her. The essay examines how her unique perspective on the world, particularly her connection to color, challenges the reader to re-evaluate their own preconceived notions about aging and identity.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The essay explores the themes of aging, identity, perception, color symbolism, and the deconstruction of societal norms. It analyzes the use of color imagery, particularly the colors red, blue, and green, to represent Margaret's experiences, emotions, and resistance against being defined by her age. Key concepts include fluidity of identity, poststructuralist perspective, and the use of humor and irony in addressing sensitive social issues.
- Quote paper
- Marnie Hensler (Author), 2020, "My Marbles Are Many-Coloured". The Colours of Age in Jackie Kay’s "These Are Not My Clothes", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1030974
