The core of Ellie's life isn't exactly to fulfil society's or her parent's wishes for a bright young woman. She has already had her extension from the university, and is therefore compelled to hand in the next assignment, but the city's many offers lead her curious nature astray. The river, the back entrance to the British Museum and a little shop – they all distract her, but at the same time serve as a means of reconciliation between the larger strings that pull her in opposite directions.
A simple symbol that she meets on her way, a glove left on top of a spike with the middle finger pointing up and the rest hanging down, helps her regain faith in life as well as the naughtiness and irreverence that seem to be a huge part of her personality, and she thinks about the endless possibilities that life has to offer.
In this curious and fearless state of mind, she enters the the British Museum and meets Death in there, in a exhibition of how different cultures deal with life and death. The thought of death exhausts and frightens her, but it also makes her mind wander to strange words whose origin she can't remember: “Nasty, brutish and short”. She becomes confused and hurries out and into the street and its traffic that makes her feel at home, and her head clears. Once again she feels stable and thinks about life and that all she does is really living it: “She is only nineteen, only living, and if that was sometimes a little extreme, well, how should life be lived?”
In the shop she finds a red stone that reminds her of her mother, and all of a sudden the wildness and rudeness of Ellie are combined with a discovery of the big love and respect she holds for her mother. She realises that she has taken too much for granted, and is filled with a love for the mother and the rest of the world so strong that she feels everybody must be able to see it inside of her. She discovers that every single person seems to be connected to every other person by a bond of love, and finally she catches a glimpse of the river and feels more alive than ever: “She wants to receive this night and its great dark pulsing, this beauty, this moment”. She gains confidence in herself and the fact that she can write the essay, and in that manner do the best for herself without giving up on her freedom.
For both Ellie in “A Gap of Sky” and Clarissa Dalloway ind “Mrs. Dalloway” London is a symbol of life, and especially Big Ben, the heart of London, which beats the very pulse of the city is important. Ellie compares the traffic to blood and the streets to arteries that lead towards the heart of the city, and Dalloway is delighted to think about that Big Ben is as important to the poor in the lowest part of society as it is to the upper class. To her life is synonymous with London, and she loves both. Just like Ellie at the end realises that she does.
When wondering about life and especially the joy of life, one might come to think about the sea, the fresh winds or the deep forests, but apparently some people, some Londoners, find pleasure in the city portrayed by Claude Monet in the painting “Waterloo bridge”. Dull colours, unpleasant weather and smoking chimneys dominate the picture, but for some reason, just like some people can love their country and find great inspiration in it, some Londoners feel deeply attached to their lively home town, so as Mrs. Dalloway and Ellie do.
B)
In both “A Gap of Sky” and in the photograph “Frances – Reflection in water” by Clarissa Leahy water plays a great role. Water is a traditional symbol of reflection and deep thought, and that is also exactly what comes in mind when contemplating the photograph. The girl in the picture looks down at her reflection in the surface of the water and in that way she shows the two-sided nature of the word reflection. Literally speaking it is what she sees in the watery mirror at her feet, but figuratively speaking it is the deeper thought about herself, about her life, past, present and future. In “A Gap of Sky” Ellie longs to see the river, to wash the feeling of emptiness and confusion away, and in the end she does see it, and it makes her feel serene and sure of herself. The river plays a role of great importance, as it symbolises something calm and steady, reflection, in the middle of the noisy, chaotic hustle and bustle of city life. Ellie loves life, she loves London and its pulsing streets, but she needs a moment of reflection to figure out where she is going and why.
