Paddy Clarke Ha Ha HA by Roddy Doyle - Book Report/Review Example

Even though Paddy wants to become a priest one day, as it is seen from the extract he personifies himself with the soccer player George Best. Doyle uses repetition to reinforce the meaning of George Best in Paddy's life. Doyle also uses one of the oldest Anglo-Saxon literature forms - alliteration for emphasizing the important "the last bit, the last paragraph", "marriage of education and entertainment I can ever recall", "said anything about the autograph". Little Paddy compares his idol the soccer player George Best with the other players from the team, saying that by wearing the jersey out George Best differs from the others who think he is useless.

This also is a metaphor for the perception the family has for little Paddy, who is not seen as a "normal" child in his parents' eyes. Another simile is found in describing the birthday present from his father, "It was huge, much fatter than an annual, real heavy. It was a grown-up's sort of book. There were pictures, but loads of writing too; small writing". This line helps to have insight into Paddy's character who is not a student with flying colors, but he would read and learn whatever he is interested in.

The crucial detail in this extract is the autograph from George Best in the book which makes it special for Paddy. This autograph shows little Paddy that his father cares for him, it is not just a regular book, it is a book with his autograph. This autograph can bring the parent and the child closer. This is an allusion for the possible normal father-son relation. The tone of the extract is somehow cheerful because after all, it is the moment when the child is receiving his birthday present, however, this is an exception because the tone of the rest of the novel is a bit dark, filled with verbal fights.

This is one of the happiest moments in Paddy's life. However, happiness does not last long because we can see his father's disinterest in his son's discovery of the autograph "My finger was in the book, where George Best's autograph was.