Patrick McCabe’s The Butcher Boy offers a unique viewpoint of Irish village life in the 1960’s. The author employs a variety of narrative techniques to enhance the revelation of the narrator, Francie Brady. As a result of the internal monologue, the
reader is able to comprehend the
extremely macabre but humorous thought processes of the storyteller. By using features in the narrative such as colloquial
dialect,
teenage skaz and personification; a high
level of engagement with the narratee is achieved.
In relation to the writer projecting his own experiences and beliefs, it is apparent McCabe has transferred his own understanding of Irish life, and in particular, Irish speech, onto the (anti) hero of the novel. Irish dialect is evident in the story, but not to such a great extent as to hinder the reader’s comprehension of Francie’s method of communication. The moderate use of dialect serves to highlight Francie’s
identity as Irish working-class, and helps reveal the distinction between him and his rival, Philip.
The fact that Francie is a lower working-class adolescent is also displayed in his use of teenage skaz. There are extremely long and convoluted sentences which would seem suitable in vernacular English. In addition, Francie’s account exhibits another teenage skaz element in his copious use of colloquialisms, obscenities and slang terminology. This unusual lexicon displays the vivacity of imagination in youth and their tendency to construct new words as a symbol of identity.
In a similar fashion, to display Francie’s original modes of expression, the author extensively exercises the technique of personification of animals. These attempts at communication are extremely humorous, which in turn encourages the reader to become endeared toward the protagonist. But these endeavours are also tragic because they indicate that Francie can relate better to animals than humans. In similarity to him, animals behave according to impulsive instincts rather than rational thought. This level of imagined transformation provides signals of Francie’s continual descent into mental deprivation.
The narrative voice over the duration of the novel is paced perfectly to display how Francie gradually succumbs to deviance. Despite the story being told in hindsight, the fact that Francie narrates in an unrepentant fashion establishes he has remained mentally unstable.
In conclusion, McCabe employs these techniques to great effect to develop a high level of familiarity between the reader and narrator. The method in which Francie uses Irish and teenage dialect serves to enforce his identity upon the reader, but also enables a degree of emotional penetration. The reader becomes captivated by Francie, especially in his comic depictions of his small, mundane native village.
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