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Character Maps small island cover - Coggle Diagram
Character Maps 
Gilbert
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First Impressions
Fun character:
- Good sense of humour
- Jokes around with Hortense, despite her not finding it funny
Very optimistic:
- Refuses to see the negatives of the accommodation and thinks England will get much better
A gentleman:
- Carries Hortense's bags for her when she arrives at Queenie's house
Quotes
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“Okay, okay, I will not touch you, see” p105
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“You must go to England straight away. Those English Women will be up to funny business with him” p107
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"Oh in the name of God, please, go to sleep, Hortense" p121
Background
From Jamaica, but left in order to fight in World War 2, on the British side
Was dating Celia, until Hortense fell out with her, after she told him about her "mad" mother
Met Queenie during the War, which was how he got himself accommodation with her
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Hortense
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First Impressions
Seems very disappointed with her first impressions of England:
- Accommodation
- Gilbert didn't pick her up
- Taxi driver encounter
Well-educated:
- Hortense has very good English
- Hortense also has a job as a teacher
“An accent that had taken me to the top of the class in Miss Stuart’s English pronunciation competition” p16
Polite:
- Very well-mannered to the point that Queenie doesn't understand the formal way in which she speaks
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Independence
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Hortense got into the taxi alone, suggesting independence however then faced prejudice
In Jamaica Hortense was more independent, as she had the ability to be e.g. teaching
Quotes
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“I could not choose between Henry V’s speech before the battle of Agincourt or Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’” p67
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Marriage
Context
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The number of divorces generally increased between 1932 and the early 1990s as a result of changes in behaviour and attitudes.
The number of males aged under 20 and 20 to 24 marrying increased by 77% and 48% respectively between 1938 and 1940.
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Hortense and Gilbert
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Hortense actually stands up to Gilbert and tells him when she doesn't like something, for instance having a sexual relationship with him
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Hortense is clearly still obsessed with Michael and therefore will not open to the possibility of a relationship with Gilbert
Hortense has not tried to like Gilbert and instead complains at everything, while Gilbert actually tries with Hortense