The Man Who Loved Children, 1940

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Unseen Commentary

Christina Stead

The Man Who Loved Children, 1940

In this passage, the author describes a family moving into a new house alongside a lake. It goes on to give the reader a glimpse at the other characters in the family as well as the mother, Henny's negative reaction towards the situation.

The passage is written in an omniscient third person narrative with its focal point on Henny and her thoughts. This is used to give an intricate view into Henny's mind while at the same time giving the reader a broad overview of the while situation as it unfolds. The fact that it focuses on Henny forces the reader to see the situation from her point of view more than anything else. This is important, so that the reader can associate with the character enough for them to understand Henny's abnormal reactions to events.

The passage is structured in eight paragraphs, two distinct sections can however be derived from those eight. Henny's sudden outburst in lines 26 and 27, acts as a separator for the text. It splits it into the first part in which it describes Henny's trail of thought,