The Main Characters Of Incendiary - Essay Example

The Main Characters Of Incendiary “Incendiary” is a work of fiction that tells of the escapes of three main characters whose lives are closely bonded by a chance meeting. The narrator known by her nickname Petal who comes from East End London, which is a poor suburb meets two well-off journalists. They all fall prey to drinking and drugs use; however, they try to live ordinary lives as good law abiding citizens. A terror attack throws their lives together, as they move in to live in one house. The different needs desires, values and actions of all three interplay to produce changes in each of their lives and a better appreciation of others’ lives. The narrator Petal, is a grieving widow from middle class urban London. She has been forced to enter into the working class life after the death of her husband who had supported her and their only son. Both her husband and her son perish at a football match in a bomb explosion. She blames “Osama Bin Laden” for the loss of her husband and son and writes him letters, which are meant to induce guilt and regret for his instigation of terrorism[Chr05]. Japer Black is a journalist who has a high-class girlfriend called Petra that lives with him, however, he later finds himself in a relationship with the narrator. The narrator’s relationship with Petra and Jasper starts off when she walks in on their lovemaking at her flat when she decides to visit it for the first time after her husband and son’s death. The narrator takes an immediate liking to Petra who looks identical to her. She is so enthralled by Petra that she starts aping her in dressing, talk and mannerism. Jasper gets jealous of the relationship between the two ladies and accuses the narrator of stealing Petra from him. Jasper rapes the narrator and Petra tries to make her forgive and forget by giving her a lot of attention and takes her on a shopping spree in expensive shop called Harvey Nichols. The narrator starts to experience a life that is different from her former life, as a housewife and mother of a four-year-old kid. She sometimes had flashbacks of her life like when she hallucinated or when she mistook a little boy on the street as her own in a moment of weakness. Jasper Black works for the Sunday Telegraph and “lives across the street from where the narrator and her husband lived”[Chr05]. He met the narrator during the nights at the pub when she would leave her four-year-old son unattended in the house. The narrator’s husband worked nights many times and was on call anytime, which made him cranky, irritable and tired. Watching television was the narrators coping mechanism when her husband was out on dangerous missions. The narrator thoughts to herself reveal her line or reasoning for example: “I know they say that you should never leave a child alone in the home but there you go. The people who say that I wonder what they would do if it was them left all alone and it was their husband making a bomb safe and all there laundry was done already and all their Alpha-bites in perfect order”[Chr05]. When her husband returned from these missions he had no time for his wife and she felt the need to fill her life with something interesting like sneaking out to meet other men in pubs. The narrator had a lot of stress because of her husband’s poor salary, which she felt did not compensate adequately for his dangerous work. The narrator’s family had to make due with the bare basics; for example, she had to pinch five pounds off each weakly shopping budget to save for a rainy day. Nothing was exciting in her life except the love she felt for her son. Jasper the journalist was a deep contrast of her husband with his carefree ways and liberality. He aroused excitement in the narrator who came to fancy him despite the fact that their first encounter of lovemaking resulted from rape. Jasper found the openness, bluntness and candidness of the narrator appealing, as it was in his opinion without phoniness or affection. Yet, he admired and loved Petra for feminine petite ways, which made her willful ways so urbane and sophisticated. Petra was a posh lady who worked with Jasper at the Sunday Telegraph. She was lively and loved to have fun. Petal became the center around, which the two journalists’ lives revolved, as they went through the different catastrophes that beset London after the terrorist attack. The letters that Petal writes to Osama depict the lives of those who live in London; an indomitable will and spirit to live and survive the “terror and poverty”[Chr05]. Petra represents the finer things in life that are present in London for Petal’s enjoyment. Petal moves in with Petra and Jasper and this brings them into a closer relationship further bonding them together. Petal opens up to Petra, which in turn opens Jasper’s eyes to the plight of the suffering masses that live in the working and struggling classes. They get to witness the effects of loss through Petals’ loss of her child[Chr05]. They are also privileged, as they witness her efforts to survive and rebuild her future as she attempts to contribute to her country’s wellbeing by working with the bomb squad. Petal sees sex as a “condition caused by nerves”[Chr05]. Petra on the other hand, develops a stronger attachment for Jasper after she feels threatened by his affection for Petal. The superficial nature of the lives they had been living before the terror attacks finally comes to haunt Petra and Jasper. They decide to live differently after their encounter with Petal’s suffering and courage despite her poor background. In conclusion, the narrator’s life is forever changed by her encounter with Jasper and Petal who introduce her to the world of the working class. Journalism and policing interact in this fight against terror that is interwoven in the lives of the three main characters. Their personal lives are changed by the varying feelings that are shaped by their new experiences, as they interact with each other. Jasper learns to appreciate the frankness, simplicity and lack of duplicity that he finds in Petal who essentially is not of his class or taste. He however, falls hard for her, as he struggles with his feelings of “fidelity to Petra[Chr05]”. Petal on the other hand, is mesmerized by Petra who she admires and desires to emulate for she is the epitome of the posh and upper class. Jasper feels threatened by his boss’s interest in Petal as well as her husband’s former boss. Petal becomes the center of male attraction, which is odd for she is not very educated nor exposed to the finer things in life. This leads Jasper to re-evaluate his obsession with material wealth and success. He also starts to redefine his goals and priorities in his work as a journalist, which also prompts Petra to do the same. Petal transforms into a strong activist who fights terrorism. This reveals a great transformation in Petal. Work Cited Chr05: , (Cleave 1-7), Chr05: , (Cleave 90), Chr05: , (Cleave 11), Chr05: , (Cleave 112), Chr05: , (Cleave 89), Chr05: , (Cleave 59), Chr05: , (Cleave 143), Read More