Away in a Manger

What’s it about?

Features of Story

• Scot’s dialect – realistic, relatable • Amy language more simple to show age• Written in past tense• Not written in 1st person, written in third but we

are still told how they are feeling.• Christmas setting – red jumpers, gift sets,

christmas lights, talk of carols, etc.• Female protaganist• Small girl

Themes

• Relationships• Commercialism• Homelessness• Attitudes to charity• Childhood• Strong Christmas setting• Cynicism/ magic of Christmas

Amy is a wee girl• “felt like a wee mouse or a hamster” Her

daughters hands feel very small, emphasises how little her daughter is, she is of a young age.

• “skippin, avoidin the cracks” childhood game• “one-two-three- jump . . . And she was over”

ellipsis mimics the jump• Silly questions show she is young e.g. “could

your nose freeze and turn intae an icicle”• “you promised” children’s importance of

keeping promises.

Sandra would rather be at home

• “A vision of warmth, a fire, mug of hot tea rose afore Sandra’s eyes.”

• “at least this would get it ower and done wi.”

Sandra cynical about Christmas

• “gaun on aboot the lights”• “God she was sick of it”• “presents that’d be returned”• “everybody in a bad mood”• “bloody christmas records”

Commercialism of Christmas

• “Every Christmas they opened longer and longer”

• “trachled wi parcels”• Woman on bus squeezed in “her lap

overflowin wi parcels”

Sandra and Amy close

• “Sandra always want ed Amy to have nice things”

• Puts aside time to show Amy lights• Holds her hand tight, makes her stay close• Image at end of Amy “started tae doze

against Sandra’s shoulder.”

Sandra dislikes boss

• “ old bag”• “if they’d only tell you in advance” thinks

she is unreasonable• “sidled” thinks she is underhand• “no the night though” gleeful to be able

to give a good excuse for not staying• Determined not to be bullied into more

shifts

Setting : light/ dark

• “turned off intae long dark road”

Turned corner and “cauld evaporated”

“the square shimmerin wi lights, brightness sharp against the gloomy street”

Brightness of bump then looks out of “windae intae the dark night.”

How do we know they like the lights?

• “lights shaped intae circles and flowers”

• “on and off in a mad rhythm”• Lots of different shapes – reindeer, santas

bells, snow fallin• Simile “like the plastic jewellery sets

wee lassies love”

Homeless people are different now

• “newspapers neatly spread oot like bedclothes”

• “huddled under auld coats”• “Hauf- empty cans in their haunds”• “faces shrunk wi drink and neglect”• “it was hard tae pick them oot fae

everyone else”

Links to Christmas Story and homelessness

• Real meaning of Christmas is charity (Amy gets this) “he could come and stay wi us”

• Mary and Joseph were also homeless“because we havenae got room”

• Jesus also had a makeshift bed

Sandra displays charity

• Paper girl selling papers at bus stop. • She feels the coldness on her cheeks then“she rummled in her purse, pulled oot

three pound coins.”