Analysis Of Tessa Green's Short Story 'Departure Time'

The number of multicultural families in the United Kingdom has risen dramatically over the last few decades as a result of globalization. Especially in the capital of London, which is regarded as one of the world’s most international cities. Here, 37% of the residents were born outside of the United Kingdom, which is 10% up from the 2001 census, and every UN-recognised country is represented in the capital. Multiculturalism is likewise in focus in the short story “Departure Time” by Tessa Green, which was published in the award winning anthology of short stories Once Upon a Time There Was a Traveller in 2013. This essay will analyse and interpret Tessa Green’s short story “Departure Time” with a focus on how Green creates suspense throughout the short story and on the cultural differences. In the short story, an English woman named Samantha is running away from a failed marriage with her Greek husband, Nikos. The two met when Samantha was seventeen and Samantha moved to Greece soon after, where she

Another way Green creates suspense is through the short story’s point of view. Samantha as a narrator is not omniscient resulting in the reader finding out what happens at the same time as Samantha which in return creates a suspenseful atmosphere as the reader experiences the tension and suspense along with Samantha. This also heightens the suspense around the short story’s climax, where Samantha’s brother-in-law is looking for her on the train as the reader does not know whether or not she will be found by him. Also Green’s choice of words creates a suspenseful atmosphere as Samantha’s panic and anxiety are reflected in the words: “But now she’s anxious at every station and ready to leap up and vacate.” (ll. 10-11); “A sudden panic makes her insides lurch and she hugs the carrier bag.” (l.