Iain Crichton Smith's short story "The Telegram" - summary

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Elspeth Renfrew        Marr College        English

THE TELEGRAM

          Iain Crichton Smith’s short story “The Telegram” tells of the escalating fear of two women, as the village elder draws ever closer to their houses, grasping a War Office telegram, which could contain news of the death of one of their sons.  Iain Crichton Smith has two main themes in this story.  Anyone, no matter how far they are from the front line can be affected by war and the only comfort that they can receive is given by someone who understands what they are going through.  The author portrays these themes by his use of setting, plot development, character comparison and his effective surprise ending.  However, prior to explaining these aspects in more detail I shall give a brief summary of the story.

          The story begins with two women, one fat and one thin, sitting drinking tea in the thin woman’s house.  They are keeping a wary eye on the village elder, who is drawing ever nearer to their houses, clutching a War Office Telegram which has the potential to contain news of the death of one of their sons.  As the elder progresses, the women become more fearful until, at the point of their greatest fear, they share a moment of closeness and understanding.  The story ends in surprise. The telegram is for the elder himself rather, than the women.

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         One of the ways in which Iain Crichton Smith projects his themes is through his use of setting in time.  The story takes place in World War Two, after the sinking of the Bismarck.  The young men of the community have been sent to fight in the war, mainly in the navy.  This causes suffering in the area because, “many of its young men had been killed”  even though the community is far from the front line.

          The setting in place is also an important factor in the story.  It is ...

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