Where does Joy live?
Bourtreehill near Irvine
The centre of Irvine
By the sea in Troon
Joy’s housing estate is located far away from town. What can this suggest?
She would rather live away from town. Her depression means she does not want to meet people she knows.
It confirms Joy’s position in society. She is an outsider because of her depression and her position as a single woman.
Joy looks down on working class people and wants to live as far away from them as possible.
What is symbolic about the dry rot that gets into the cottage Joy shared with Michael?
Dry rot threatens the infrastructure of the building just as depression threatens Joy’s wellbeing.
It is symbolic of the rotting society around her.
It is symbolic of their terrible relationship rotting away.
Which set of adjectives best describe the settings in 'The Trick is to Keep Breathing?'
Rural, quiet, isolated
Urban, threatening, crowded
Bleak, run down, ugly
Fully explain this quotation:
the bus stop at the entrance has a red cross to show the stop, like a teacher’s mark in a jotter. Wrong.
This describes the sign outside the hospital. Joy feels this is a symbol of how the hospital is shunned and neglected by a society that is prejudiced against people with mental illness.
This describes the sign at the entrance to the school. This shows the school is shunned and forgotten by society.
This shows that Joy has been marking in one of her flashbacks. She feels she does everything wrong and is a bad teacher.
How does Joy’s home become threatening?
Visitors invade Joy’s home and household objects harm her.
It is poorly constructed and becomes dangerous.
It is very uncomfortable with high creaky beds and bright glaring lights in the corridors that are not switched off.
Joy’s house becomes a prison at one point. How does this happen?
Joy cannot go outside because of her condition. She feels imprisoned by having to be in the house all day.
She feels imprisoned when Myra comes to see her. She is so afraid of Myra she feels she has to escape to summon help at the nearest call box.
Tony holds her prisoner when he demands sex from her.
Which of the following is true regarding Foresthouse Hospital?
It is impersonal and lacks comfort.
It is dark and frightening.
It is like a prison.
How does Joy try to escape the confines of her house?
Joy buys women’s magazines. These provide escapism for her, occupy her time and suggest ways she can improve her life.
Joy watches TV to take her away from her problems.
Joy buys chocolate and sweets so that she has something to enjoy.
I hear it quite distinctly. My own voice in an empty house. I forgive you
What is the significance of the empty house at the end of the novel?
The empty house symbolises Joy’s loneliness at the end of the novel.
The empty house can represent the absence of the influence of other people and their expectations. Joy has found her own voice and is listening to it for the first time.
The empty house represents that Joy has nothing left to rely on in life.