Hold Me Fast, Don't Let Me Pass
Plot
Chronological
The narrator tells the story of Hazel's trip to Scotland to find out more about her husband Jack's past.
The narrator does not hop back and forth between time frames, but instead refers to events from the past, while staying in the same time frame.
Conflicts
Hazel vs. Antoinette
Antoinette doesn't meet the expectations of hazel.
She doesn't want to talk about or admit what happend in the past with Jack.
Hazel vs. Margaret
Margaret Dobie doesn't fit the expectations either, even denies ever having known Jack.
Style & Structure
Room for interpretation
Writer lets us decide, what caused the death of Jack? was it the war? or was it everything else in his life?
Focus changes halfway
The focus changes from Hazel wanting to know more about her husband in a positive way to learning about her own life and thoughts and learning about what made her husband feel so miserable.
Setting
Time
Place
1980s
Selkirk County, Scotland
"Hazel was in her fifties..." tells us about her age at the time the story takes place
"Hazel was fifteen when the war ended" tells us that it should be approximately 35 years or over later than 1945.
Point of view
Third person limited omniscient
Figurative Language
"Whiskey'll do it"
Symbols and Motifs
Motifs
Recurring poems
A lot of alcohol is used throughout the story. It plays a part in almost every scene.
The unwillingness to talk about wartimes
symbolizes the impact a war has on people,
even when they're not willing to say so.
The Canadian Hazel orders 'Scotch', which sounds odd for the Scottish Dudley
Scottisch poems are being told repeatedly
Characterization
Round
Flat
Mrs. Dobie
Dudley (somewhere in between round/flat?)
Jack
Hazel
Antoinette
Dudley (somewhere in between round/flat?)
Judie
Themes
War
And the impact it has on everybody involved, actively or indirectly.
Love and relationships
Trust
who can you trust? Is something every really true, or is there always another side to a story?
Reader's response
I could really relate to the fact that war isn't something that wears off of people after a while. It sticks with you and makes you the person you are today. As a soldier myself I have many colleagues who have experienced this and still experience this today, and I actually feel that people who have never felt or seen the impact of a war on a person often downscale the effect it can actually have.