Write a critical analysis of the passage from A Handful of Dust Essay

Write a critical analysis of the passage from A Handful of Dust starting is mummy coming back today? (p55) and finishing I've been carrying on anyhow this week (p 57), showing how far you think it typical of Waugh's methods and effects in the novel. The passage starts with John Andrew, the most innocent person in the novel speaking. He is questioning the absence of his mother and waiting eagerly for her return from "monkey-woman's party". His father reassures him that she is sure to be back that very day. John Andrew points out that Brenda would not have seen Thunderclap for four days, this is sweet as he misses the point that she has not seen her own son for four days either! It shows how attached little John Andrew is to his horse, as if he were in his mother's shoes he would not be desperate to get back to his mother but to his horse. We know that Brenda and Tony do not play a big part in John's life, he has a nanny and is close to the stable boy, and sees him as a role model. It is clear to see that Tony had been suffering with from loneliness and missing Brenda by his reply to the stationmaster, "I've been expecting her every day". The two have a little chat while they wait for Brenda's train to arrive. The stationmaster refers to Brenda as "Her ladyship", a title she certainly does not live up to on her jaunts to London. She herself admits it when she sees that the two have come to the station for her "I don't at all deserve it" Waugh puts a brilliant little speech together for John to tell his mother on the way home. It is very amusing as it is written as a child of his age would speak. It has little punctuation and is one very long sentence containing lots of different information about the p... ...time she is done Tony is agreeing to the flat. I found there were two main points which sprang to mind, regarding Waughs methods and effects in this piece. Clearly this story of marital betrayal relates closely to Waugh's personal experience and he seems to be remarkably generous towards Brenda. Her behaviour is clearly compulsive; "I've found a flat" and she is outspoken "I've been carrying on anyhow this week". Waugh remains very compassionate in his attitude to the faithless Brenda and allows no sign of anger in Tony, which would have been well-justified, he just says "no harm done then." Also, this passage has a great range of ironic implication and it is in parts exceptionally funny; the irony of Tony reacting to Brenda's confession of "carrying on madly with young men" by inferring that buying a Pekingese would have been far worse is pure farce.