Therefore, Keegan emphasizes the significance of buoyancy, fortitude, and hard work to achieve positive change in life. However, fate is on the side of Furlong because he is now one of the most successful businesses in the small town of New Rose. Furlong's experience was bad because people mistreated them for being poor. The other theme that comes out in the novel changes. Consequently, Furlong's primary motivation to excel as a merchant is to provide for his family.

Furlong recalls how his mother suffered while working as a domestic worker in Mrs. Furlong is a dedicated family man who wants to excel in whatever he does to provide for his wife and five daughters. The first major issue or point of focus in the novel is family. Some of the literary elements Keegan uses in Small Things like These to make her novel a gem include allusions and paradox. The main conflict in the novel emerges when Furlong confronts the nuns over the mistreatment of the girls that they are supposed to protect and nature. Furlong is the central character, and the antagonist is the convent, one of Furlong's most loyal customers. Claire Keegan uses her novel's ardent tone and reflective mood to motivate readers to be optimistic in whatever they do and expect positive results. Set in 1985 in New Rose, Ireland, Small Things like These is a historical fiction novel told from the third-person perspective to explore the themes of change, the significance of the family, and compassion. Written by people who wish to remain anonymous

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While Dickens uses his story to challenge the unequal distribution of wealth in Victorian society, his message nevertheless reinforces patriarchal values by celebrating the male-centric and materialist aspects of Christmas, rather than its spiritual elements.These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community. Small Things Like These can be read as a feminist revision of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol - to which the novel explicitly alludes. While the vise-like rhythm of daily life threatens to suffocate his spirit, it also hints at the deep loss he would suffer if stability is renounced. The heartwarming tableau of his wife and daughters making mince pies for Christmas nevertheless makes Bill wonder if the daily grind of providing for his family is all there is to life. Like the Catholic parish that presides as a monolith over the town of New Ross in 1985 Ireland, Bill's social background reflects both salvation and oppression.Īs a perpetual outsider, Bill senses danger in rituals that others take for granted, and aches for his youngest daughter when she becomes frightened by a 'big, fat Santa,' like the Pied Piper luring a horde of children toward a cave of shiny presents during the town's holiday parade.

Small things like these claire keegan