Miners are represented in this story as workers in a rough, man’s world industry. In the story it is portrayed as a ‘man’s job’, and so miners are consequently portrayed as real men. Hard working, young strong and healthy, with words such as ‘wrestling’ used to help send the message across. Mining is portrayed as a man’s job. Miners are also portrayed as rough and bullyish, such as calling Bob “The kid glove collier” because he wears gloves.
Masculinity is presented through distinct words in the story. The use of “danger, dirt, darkness, hard work, young and strong”. As it is a mining story which was always traditionally a male job, the use of these words would convey to the young reader that mining is about masculinity and is a masculine job.
The likely audience for this story would be young boys from ages 9-15 years, of a middle class background as it really describes in the story what mining is like. Also they may be able to empathise with bob a more well-educated boy about wearing gloves so he can draw. The primary purpose is to entertain, but also it conveys stereotypes of miners, as in rough and strong. It could be a moral against teasing as in the end Bob does save the day even after all the teasing. It could show social diversity between bob and the other miners and it could show an ideological view of England, which all the boys going to work down the mines.
You can tell the story was written in 1947 as it uses lexis that would not be used modern day now such as “twittering” and “upon”. It also uses phrases like clean table napkin and forward of his head which is a formal sentence structure probably not going to be used modern day now.
In the end Dick and Bob fight, but then Dick ends up needing bobs help and bob saves the day.
