How do we see Joy’s longing to fulfil a traditional female role?
She is jealous of Norma Fisher's marriage and children.
She tries to be more like Ellen.
She eagerly reads women’s magazines, and cooks and bakes, describing herself as ‘a good wife going to waste’.
As a woman in society, Joy is expected to be ‘good’. What is one definition of ‘good’ that Joy gives in the novel?
good= to be productive/hardworking/wouldn’t say boo.
good= to do what men tell you.
good= to be a wife/mother/daughter.
How does the medical profession fail in its treatment of Joy’s condition?
The doctors misdiagnose Joy and give her the wrong medication.
They fail to treat Joy and her illness as individual.
They lock her away rather than addressing her illness.
Give one important example of Joy’s alienation in the novel?
She is the only woman in the betting shop.
She is alienated from the grieving process because of her position as Michael’s mistress rather than being his wife.
She is alienated by being the only teacher in Foresthouse Hospital.
What is misogyny?
Hatred of society.
Hatred of women.
Self-hatred.
Why are water and light important motifs in the novel?
They are life-sustaining elements. The breakdown of the most basic processes of life demonstrate the seriousness of Joy's condition.
Light and water are important in the scene of Michael’s death.
These are religious images that reflect Joy's faith.
What is the significance of Joy’s bathing ritual?
She takes a bath to avoid any phone calls or visits.
She feels constantly dirty.
This shows Joy longs to be in control of at least one aspect of her life
Joy is described as a fragmented character. How do we see this in the novel?
Through her frequent flashbacks to Michael’s death. In a sense she is fragmented between two worlds.
She frequently does not recognise herself in the mirror.
She cuts herself on several occasions.
What can Joy’s alcoholism and eating disorder show us?
She has self-destructive tendencies. Her eating disorder links with the fact Joy feels invisible. Subconsciously she is literally willing herself to diminish and disappear. Her drinking is linked to wanting to escape.
Both are family traits. Myra is an alcoholic and does not take more than a cup of black coffee for breakfast.
She does not feel hungry because of her medication.
Select the best analysis for the following quotation:
Inside the headphones I hear the rise and fall, the surf beating in my lungs. Reach for the bottle. Watch the lights.
This shows Joy is ready to return to Spain and revisit the scene of Michael's death.
This shows Joy has finally learned to swim and is no longer afraid of drowning like Michael.
This shows Joy’s will to survive.The light is important imagery representing hope.The ‘surf beating in her lungs’ can suggest she has learned how to move forwards and that ‘the trick is to keep breathing’. Swimming is the opposite of Michael’s fate which was drowning