‘A Bit of Singing and Dancing’ Susan Hill CBE (born 5 February 1942) is an English author of fiction and non-fiction works. Her novels include The Woman in Black, The Mist in the Mirror and I’m the King of the Castle for which she received the Somerset Maugham Award in 1971. She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2012 Birthday Honours for services to literature. [1][2] A Bit of Singing and Dancing is a short story collection by British writer Susan Hill. It was published in 1973.
In the story under the title “A Bit of Singing and Dancing” Susan Hill tells us about a woman (Easme Fanshow), whose mother died and she stayed alone. The author narrates her feelings, behavior, plans, and lifestyle. First of all, Easme tried to feel freedom/ She had a lot of plans about different purchases, traveling and other expenses. The woman decided to let one of the rooms in her house. Easme knew nothing about this job and had no impudence to ask. But she became to be bored in the evening. Even after learning that he is dancing in the square for the money to keep him.
The story mainly focuses on the tyranny and freedom. The composition of the story is unusual for its location events. In the beginning, we see a woman, two weeks ago, her mother died. Gradually, the deepening, in the canvas the story, we see how the man was her mother, we see. The narrative is in the third person, including monologues daughter, mother. e her alive. Then again, death and life after her daughter. The action and plot of the story revolve around three main characters. The story is the theme of human relationships, the inner freedom of the person on the example of the life Easme.
Easme – woman 50 years old, spent her life with her mother, she does not have the family or even friends. She dreams of a great life but limits itself by the fact that he thought the mother would say to every action that was forbidden to her. But now she is free. It is true that this freedom is false and she gladly gives it to the first person who came to the house after the death of her mother. Mom Esmy died 2 weeks ago. All her life she had for her daughter everything. She taught her to live, eat properly, and choose the people. She’s a pretty bossy woman. In addition to his own life, and she lived the life of his daughter.
Mister, a person who sells detergent winter and summer dances on the boulevard for the money. Clean and neat gentleman, he likes to read the encyclopedia and it often said that you need to develop your horizons. He was, in many countries, and they learned a lot. It has a nice appearance and manners. The house Easme him well. Maybe because he was tired of a free life. Story structure has an open ending, the reader is the most complete history. By genre can be attributed to a realistic psychological history. The main symbol the product music. Music is in the title, the music sounds in the house Easme, the music lacks after my mother’s death.
Mum loved music and could not imagine my life without her. The music here as a symbol of captivity. You can test all you want, but would not hear the silence and not feel a void. Here, the author discusses the eternal problem of human freedom and human nature in general. The problem of upbringing and life. Many people desire for freedom just like Easme Fanshaw in this story. However, when people are bounded with tyranny for so many years, it’s a challenge for them to have a new life with freedom as they don’t get used to it. In other words, people can not get rid of their old life. [1] It has been described as “a vivid picture of the loneliness of old age” But Easme realized that it would be a useless extravagance and she had to save money for her old age. A neat and spruce gentleman (as she believed) became her longer. Mr. Curry was his name and he traveled in cleaning utensils in wintertime. Everything was all right, their life was rather successful. He worked and paid four pounds a week for his living and one pound for his food. She was cleaning the house and was shopping. In the evening they were reading and talking. But the summer came, and his second seasonable job began.
One day decided to go for a walk, although didn’t walk in summer earlier, because her mother wouldn’t approve it (Easme still was asking mother’s advice and thought what her mother said about this or that action). And during this walk, the woman saw Mr. Curry and understood what kind of job he had. She was angry because he was only singing and dancing on the street and got some money from this occupation. Easme had been humiliated and taken in as she considered, but after some meditations, she understood that she liked a bit of singing and dancing and Easme calmed down.
