● Explore how the narrative of This is England influences your

response to either the protagonist or the antagonist.

Narrative is something extremely influential in how the audience perceives the
protagonist, Shaun, in the film. This is something we can specifically analyse through
various narrative theories and devices which enable us as viewers to further
understand and appreciate Shaun as a character and protagonist of This is England.
First and foremost, it’s important to point out the structure of the narrative in the film.
The structure is linear, since we are clearly moving forward in time with Shaun, and
there are no time jumps in between which would make it circular. Moving forward in
time together with Shaun, and through his perspective, is something significant in
creating the viewers’ responses and perceptions of events as well as other
characters in the film. This is due to the fact that it allows the audience to mature like
Shaun, and experience and understand the different social context of that time,
especially if the audience themselves hadn’t experienced it. The understanding of
the social context of the 1980s is something of great importance to the audience, as
the film’s main messages all correlate to the social,political, and economic context of
that time. Thereby, this also enables us as the viewers to better understand Shaun’s
character by encouraging us to empathise with him, since he and a lot of other
people were going through a reasonably challenging time. This therefore explains his
negative or violent behaviour in certain scenes, as he’s a child and easily influenced
by other people; especially those older than him which we see are the majority of
people he spends his time with.
However, although the film’s general structure is linear, it does in some aspects
portray a circular structure, another effective narrative device. An example of a
circular equation is something clearly showcased through Shaun’s journey at the
beach both in the beginning, and end of the film. These sequences could be
metaphorically illustrating the confusion and isolation felt by Shaun at the start and
end. This could be implying that while he did endure a personal journey of growth
and change, it was this journey that only led him back to the emotions he felt at the
beginning, further emphasising the many political and social issues and their impact
on people, particularly kids, in the1980s. This also makes the film open ended as the
spectator doesn’t get a clear indication of milky’s condition so it is still unclear if
shaun will rejoin woody’s gang or be isolated once more. This is something which
leaves the audience concerned and sympathetic towards the protagonist, helping us
build a well founded connection with the character, which initially makes the film
much more meaningful and realistic for the audience.
Additionally, another important factor which clearly affects the narrative of this is
England, is binary opposition. This is something which refers to the conflict between
opposing characters, one which shapes the narrative from Shaun’s first
interaction with Sandhu in the shop and the playground fight, through Woody
and Combo’s gangs clashing to the dramatic assault on Milky. Levi Staruss
argued that one side of the binary pair is always seen by a particular culture
as more valued than the other. This point is quite interesting as our
protagonist switches sides on a binary pair in the narrative. The fact this
occurs, allows for the audience to learn more about our character and how
certain shifts in the environment affect his behaviour and emotions. We see
that Shaun is greatly influenced by those older than him, and will go along with
anyone who connects with him while he is in a vulnerable state. This is both
evident with Woody and Combo, as Woody approached Shaun when he was
alone and isolated, and Combo really grabbed Shaun’s attention once he
talked with him about his father, which we learn is a highly sensitive topic for
Shaun. This tendency to follow those of higher authority and with whom he
feels a great connection with, is something that symbolises his innocence and
naivety. It reminds and further emphasises to the audience that our
protagonist is a child, and one that is greatly impacted by his surroundings.
This again, gives us a deeper understanding of the central character, and how
his behaviour greatly affects and moves the plot forward, allowing underlying
messages to be met with the audience.
All of the factors mentioned above, greatly illustrate just how much the
narrative of ‘This England’ is able to influence a viewer's response to the
protagonist. Gaining a profound perception of a character, allows the audience
to interpret the film in a way which pays respect to the intertwined messages
within it. It also makes us aware of the reasons for the certain characteristics
or behavioural aspects of a character and how that is meant to effectively
influence the audience’s response to narrative, and thereby the film itself.