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Black Cat
Citizen gives a good answer. He an Natalie present two opposing arguments to the question - "why did we end up with the lives we had?", which is one of the main questions of the Novel.
Nathan says, "it's just luck, innit", or words to that effect. Some poor kids leave the estate and "get lucky" like Nat, and - to a lesser extent - Leah, but some kids end up on the streets, "survivin'", or in Felix's case, dying.
Nat says, "its because we worked hard, Nathan just didn't want to enough". Her success is down to her schooling, and her determination. Likewise Nat see's Leah's education as her route to her job, even though she's the only one in her work with a degree, and it's almost a hindrance for her (being a social barrier with her colleagues).
Neither answer seems particularly true. Nat did work hard, but she had a huge benefit in meeting Frank and the lawyer-set she fell in with. Felix also, for the most part, is trying to better himself but he ends up dead. But neither can we excuse Nathan, he's clearly not just a leaf blowing in the wind, he's made a lot of choices that led him to where he is, even if we can't see them all.
Nathan's other function is another portrait of "I just want you to see the real me", which is one of the central themes of the novel. Everyone wants the world to see them "as they truly are", as everyone's inner selves are different to how they are viewed by many others. With Nat, Leah and Felix, we have middle-class, lower-middle and working class, so with Nathan we go one lower into the underclass. We don't spend a lot of time with him - ultimately this reflects the main perceptions society get of the underclass, glimpses, encounters, judgements, but no real full understanding of his life.
Nathan says, "it's just luck, innit", or words to that effect. Some poor kids leave the estate and "get lucky" like Nat, and - to a lesser extent - Leah, but some kids end up on the streets, "survivin'", or in Felix's case, dying.
Nat says, "its because we worked hard, Nathan just didn't want to enough". Her success is down to her schooling, and her determination. Likewise Nat see's Leah's education as her route to her job, even though she's the only one in her work with a degree, and it's almost a hindrance for her (being a social barrier with her colleagues).
Neither answer seems particularly true. Nat did work hard, but she had a huge benefit in meeting Frank and the lawyer-set she fell in with. Felix also, for the most part, is trying to better himself but he ends up dead. But neither can we excuse Nathan, he's clearly not just a leaf blowing in the wind, he's made a lot of choices that led him to where he is, even if we can't see them all.
Nathan's other function is another portrait of "I just want you to see the real me", which is one of the central themes of the novel. Everyone wants the world to see them "as they truly are", as everyone's inner selves are different to how they are viewed by many others. With Nat, Leah and Felix, we have middle-class, lower-middle and working class, so with Nathan we go one lower into the underclass. We don't spend a lot of time with him - ultimately this reflects the main perceptions society get of the underclass, glimpses, encounters, judgements, but no real full understanding of his life.
Farhān
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