ONE STAIR UP

The text under analysis is an extract from the novel “One stair up” by the
Scottish novelist С. Nairne.
Campbell Nairne who was born in Edinburg and became popular due to her
two books “One stair up” and “Stony Ground”.
The given extract is a description of the attendance of the cinema by two
youngsters Rosa and Andrew. They are representatives of the working class? And
they have different aims of visiting cinema that was the reason of developing of the
conflict between them.
The theme of this extract is the problem of misunderstanding between Rosa
and Andrew. The main idea is a different attitude to things, different word vision
and different motivation. The book belongs to the belles-letters style, the story is
told by the 3rd person narration, but also we can find the 1 st person narration (the
text is partially narrative). The language of the extract is rather simple, the author
used a lot of compound sentences and a lot of colloquial words that help the reader
to feel the atmosphere in the cinema and the thoughts and inner condition of the
main heroes.
The whole story can be divided into 4 logical parts: 1 st coming to the cinema,
2nd Rosa and Andrew begin to watch the comedy, 3rd the comedy itself, 4th Rosa’s
and Andrew’s dialog. The plot structure of the extract is closed, because there are
all elements. The exposition when the heroes come to the cinema, and their first
impression from the atmosphere of the luxury. The story itself begins with talking
of their sits and Rosa’s question about the film, there author uses a lot of details
and descriptions, in order to show the atmosphere in show-room and Rosa’s and
Andrew behavior and aims. Also there we can see Rosa’s attitude to Andrew, due
to the phrase “… to be seen in the dress circle, even with Andrew”.
The climax of the extract and the tensest moments we distinguish when we
understand Rosa’s thoughts about Andrew. The most tense moment we can see
when Andrew captures by the emotions, tries to share his impressions with Rosa
but she is irritated by him, and she does not want to understand him.
The denouement of the story is the ferine answer of Rosa.
The author in general successfully conveys the characteristic features of the
main character, she makes it with a help of inner monologues of the main
characters, she doesn’t use actions a lot, and it’s story very unusual. The author
uses a lot of stylistic devices in order to show the complicated atmosphere of the
relations between Rosa and Andrew and the atmosphere in the “Circle” such as:
epithets (rapid-fire drama, hot darkness), metaphors (a shower of stars, a shaft of
white light). metonymy (young blood), simile (a carpet that yielded like).
In the language of main character we can find simple sentences (by their
constructions), this colloquial language is an evidence of the low education level of
the heroes.
We should pay attention on the title of the story. It helps us to understand the
reason of the conflict between Rosa and Andrew. It tells us what people have the
different aims in their life, not only to reach success in some activity or to develop
yourself and be ahead of the rest or one stair up but also respect other people.