How does R. Gerallt Jones make us feel sorry for Johnny in 'The Letter'?

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Sean Wozencroft 10J

Anglo/Welsh Prose: The Letter

How does R.Gerallt Jones make us feel sorry for Johnny in ‘The Letter’?

‘The Letter’, by R. Gerallt Jones, is a story about a young Welsh boy who leaves his home in Pwllheli to go to a boarding school in England. As we follow Johnny’s footsteps to Shrewsbury, we are witnesses of the bullying that he is subject to and the change in lifestyle for the homesick child. Johnny is the main character of the story and he infact is the narrator, guiding us through all the goings-on.

From the very beginning of the short story we are aware that Johnny is a youngster who has not had much experience of being away from home. His age is not preciously stated at any time, but we get an impression of immaturity by studying his habits, likes, dislikes, attitudes and relationships.

Firstly, Johnny constantly repeats the last words that his mother said to him before he departed for the train station, “Remember to write,” Jones writes. This shows that Johnny is nervous about the change in his life and so he is thinking of his mum as a comfort. As he is yet to taste life outside of his mother’s safe grasp, he wants to remember her as if she were still with him.

The next indication of his age that we are given comes within the next couple of lines. Jones writes, “…to buy a Hotspur and the Sporting Record…” Johnny is wishing that he was still at Pwllheli where he had the freedom to go to the local shop and purchase one of these magazines. The content of the magazines is what gives us a clue to his sophistication, as they are both aimed at a young male audience.

Hotspur was about a cartoon character called ‘Cannonball Kidd’, who was notorious for being the saviour in a make-believe football match. Often Cannonball Kidd would run onto the pitch with ten minutes remaining on the referee’s watch and score five to bring the score to 5-4 and win the Cup for his team. Clearly, this is not something that would interest a young adult or even a teenager, yet Johnny is dreaming of a scenario he once read.

It is written, “I try to read about Cannonball Kidd, who can score a goal from the halfway line against the best goalie in the world.”

Thirdly, Johnny says, “Ten weeks. How long is ten weeks? It’s almost as long as from this very second to the end of the world…” This, again, shows his immaturity. It is a typical thought of a young person that the end of a couple of months will never come. As you grow older in years, you become wiser and know that infact ten weeks is not forever.

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Welshman Johnny then puts his Hotspur down and starts to think back to the very day that his brother told him he was to move schools and continue his education over the English boarder. As he recalls, he was sitting on the bridge when Math told him the news. Johnny was, at the time, pretending that the bridge was a ship and he was the captain.

“The bridge wasn’t an ordinary bridge then, of course, it was a captain’s bridge,” R.Gerallt Jones writes. “My ship was on its way to India and China to see the treasures of ...

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