Secondly, Khan through the uses of language to create an atmosphere that Bolan is pulls by two different things. Therefore, he uses the example of a sunset in the Square. As he says, “the sun’s rays and the shadows of the trees in the Woodford Square were playing tug o’ war, both stretched out thin in the evening as they pull upon each other.” You can also think of the sun’s rays and the shadows are Bolan’s last house in Tunapuna and the Woodford Square. Therefore, he feels torn of Tunapuna but he also loves the Square in Port of Spain. Therefore, I think Bolan will not be very happy of the move from Tunapuna to the Port of Spain.
Thirdly, the example of how Khan shows the unhappy relationship in the Bolan’s family is through the choice of theme. One such example is that the crime and punishment that Bolan is having is unfair. When he goes to the “Market School”, he could not hear what the teacher is saying. “That cost six lashes in the palm for what the teacher called ‘day dreaming’.” The punishment that Bolan takes is not relevant, because that are not his false. Moreover, no one will be happy after someone has beaten you up. One other example is the difficulty of adapting to a new home. Bolan is call name by people like, “Thinny Boney”, “Match-stick foot”. That shows Bolan is having difficulty in getting into the group. However, he did not answer to the name to any of the names they coined for him, because he knew if he did, he would have to live with it forever. The adults, Bolan’s dad also have difficulty in getting into the group. “Let his hair grow on his head and his face”, and he looked like “an old man” He drinks and letting himself grow. That’s show that he is having problem, graceful and depressing, perhaps in getting into the group. They move because they aren’t making much money in Tunapuna. “At first the boy thought that they were rich as they said they would become when they left Tunapuna.” However, they find out that they still aren’t making any more in the Port of Spain, and they aren’t happy with that.
Khan makes the relationship more clear through the characterisation of Bolan and his father. Firstly, Bolan watches the boys playing cricket every night. “Since they moved to Port of Spain, he had been coming to Woodford Square in evenings.” That’s shows Bolan is a shy character. Secondly, he touches the powerful looking statue. “He had touched the strong green veins running down the man’s legs with fear.” That’s shows he is scared, perhaps because he is new to the city and the statue is big and has a very strong feeling to Bolan. It also shows that the son is trying hard to get in the group. But on the other hand, the father isn’t trying hand because he letting himself down. The statue also shows the coldness. “Half expecting the serve lips to smile, or even curl in anger at him” In some way, the statue is opposite to Bolan, perhaps a bit like his father. The characterisation of Bolan’s father also helps to explain the relationship more clearly. He only tidies himself up for visit to Tunapuna and boasts about earning three dollars a day. “He would get a shave and a trim, and tell everyone that he was making three dollars a day at the American Base.” That’s told us that he is proud that what he had. Because he didn’t want anyone to know, he is having a worse like in Port of Spain. He beat Bolan up. “The boys legs were marked with thin red welts from the lashes” He did that because he wants to let Bolan know what Bolan did wrong, and to show his family that he still have a sense of control over that state they are having.
Khan also shows that the story is blaming someone or perhaps something for the unhappiness. Firstly, Bolan stole money from his father. Then he bought a cricket ball and paid for black pudding for all the boys. “He squeezed out a shinny red cock ball, brand new”. “He paid for all the black puddin’ they could eat”. His father called Bolan a “family thief”. Khan blames Bolan stole money off his father to do what he wants. Bolan thinks his father can do what he wants with the money. Perhaps it might stop his father drinking.
Secondly, the story also blames the suffering which poverty brings for unhappiness. “The boy went to the “market school” in the back of the Eastern Market with its thousand of voices of buyers, vendor and live animals screaming through the window of school” That tell us that the parent do not have enough moneys to afford their child to go to a better school for better education. Bolan’s father is letting himself down by “let his hair grow on his head and his face unless they were going to Tunapuna. Then he would get a shave and a trim and tell everyone that he was making three dollars a day at the American Base.” That’s tell us that he have a low self-esteem. Saving money is also a big problem for Bolan’s family. As the mother says, “That we ain’t save much, that you believe you work hard for nothing, but don’t forget how much we had to borrow to move to Port of Spain. One day when we pay back everybody we will” The family really needs to save some money in order to live in better life. The arguing also damages the relationship between them. The names the boys call Bolan. “Thinny Boney” and “Match-foot stick” This shows us that he is skinny and unhealthy. They are not playing with a proper cricket set. The three wickets made out of “broomstick” and one of the bats made out of “coconut branches”. That’s tell us that the cricket set is home made. The Bolan’s family has their pipe outside their yard. “There was a yellow brass pipe in the centre of the yard tied to a wooden spike driven in the ground.” The pipe is the only source of water and it is located outside. Bolan is sleeping on a mat. “Under the straw mat on which he slept” They are poor and they are suffering.
Thirdly, the story blames there is not enough time for Bolan and his father. “The boy saw him only late in the evenings now” So their relationship is going further and further.
The story also blames Bolan. As the father says, “as soon as we did have a li’l money save we have to go and get a …” As the mother answers, “A child?” That’s show us that the father is blaming the child, Bolan for poorness.
At the end of the story, there is twist about the father and the male statue. Bolan Dreamt that the statue can talk, and the statue says, “we love you like nothin’ else in the whole whole world.” However, when he wakes up he notices that his dream is true but the words were said in his father mouth. That’s shows that the father loves his son, but he find it difficult to show and expressed his felling. Therefore, the story blames the statue as Bolan’s father.
In conclusion, the Red Ball shows us very clear that the relationship between Bolan and his father is unhappy. The move from Tunapuna to Port of Spain didn’t change the life of the family a lot. Moreover, the poverty does give the family much unhappiness. The story also blames Bolan stole money, the suffering, time, Bolan and the statue for unhappiness. Finally, we know that the father loves Bolan.
