Characterization of Jim Hawkins from ”Skinhead”
“Skinhead” is from an English novel by Richard Allen, which was published in 1970. This short story is about a working-class boy, Jim Hawkins, and his point of view on life. He believes that he is a misfit in Plaistow and has some other dreams and hopes for his future. That is mostly what the centre of motion is about. First of all, he is living with his family in Plaistow and it is a working-class part in London and “Plaistow and its dirt were not for Jim.” (P.1, l.8) The narrator tells us that Jim does not fit into this community. Jim has an idea about his future and it does not include his parents or Plaistow. “The house they lived in was far removed from a palace”(p.1, l.3) Jim …show more content…
He dresses like a skinhead and that is the type of person he wants to be. In the text, his clothes is described as the following: “army trousers and braces; and boots! The boots were the most important item.” (P.2 l. 21) Jim does not want to be like everybody else. The reader gets the feeling that he is searching for his own identity, like many other boys and girl at his age. The difference between Jim and others is that he is dealing with his frustration and anger by becoming a skinhead. This can have something to do with his social status in the community. Generally it points towards, that it is not only the mom and dad’s faults that he has become a sadist and a so-called skinhead. The problem in his childhood might be, that the parents were not as visible as they should have been to keep Jim from getting in trouble. Compared to the citizens in West End, Jim’s parents are in a low social class, therefore they need to work a lot to earn enough money. Their jobs require a lot of time, that they could have spent on being with Jim. Also worth noticing is, that it is not only the parents that play a role in affecting Jim, you also need to look at his circle of acquaintances. His goals are achieving more than his father has, and to move to the West End where people are richer and live in a higher social class. “Although his day was coming. Of that he was positive.” (P.1, …show more content…
He turns out being a skinhead, a soccer hooligan, foxy-clever towards his mom especially, aggressive and violent towards everyone that is not quite like him and who does not have the same values. All in all, Jim Hawkins is a boy that develops in this short story. In the beginning he is a boy that has his own homemade weapon, but is too scared and does not have enough courage to act. But it seems as he changes after the fight with his mom. In a way, he establishes a more difficult and aggressive relationship to his mom and other people that are not like himself and his
“Skinhead” is from an English novel by Richard Allen, which was published in 1970. This short story is about a working-class boy, Jim Hawkins, and his point of view on life. He believes that he is a misfit in Plaistow and has some other dreams and hopes for his future. That is mostly what the centre of motion is about. First of all, he is living with his family in Plaistow and it is a working-class part in London and “Plaistow and its dirt were not for Jim.” (P.1, l.8) The narrator tells us that Jim does not fit into this community. Jim has an idea about his future and it does not include his parents or Plaistow. “The house they lived in was far removed from a palace”(p.1, l.3) Jim …show more content…
He dresses like a skinhead and that is the type of person he wants to be. In the text, his clothes is described as the following: “army trousers and braces; and boots! The boots were the most important item.” (P.2 l. 21) Jim does not want to be like everybody else. The reader gets the feeling that he is searching for his own identity, like many other boys and girl at his age. The difference between Jim and others is that he is dealing with his frustration and anger by becoming a skinhead. This can have something to do with his social status in the community. Generally it points towards, that it is not only the mom and dad’s faults that he has become a sadist and a so-called skinhead. The problem in his childhood might be, that the parents were not as visible as they should have been to keep Jim from getting in trouble. Compared to the citizens in West End, Jim’s parents are in a low social class, therefore they need to work a lot to earn enough money. Their jobs require a lot of time, that they could have spent on being with Jim. Also worth noticing is, that it is not only the parents that play a role in affecting Jim, you also need to look at his circle of acquaintances. His goals are achieving more than his father has, and to move to the West End where people are richer and live in a higher social class. “Although his day was coming. Of that he was positive.” (P.1, …show more content…
He turns out being a skinhead, a soccer hooligan, foxy-clever towards his mom especially, aggressive and violent towards everyone that is not quite like him and who does not have the same values. All in all, Jim Hawkins is a boy that develops in this short story. In the beginning he is a boy that has his own homemade weapon, but is too scared and does not have enough courage to act. But it seems as he changes after the fight with his mom. In a way, he establishes a more difficult and aggressive relationship to his mom and other people that are not like himself and his