Voila

Blog Entry-“Voila”, by Debbie Rigaud

Briefly: The short story takes place in a local hospital, where a teenager called Simone is waiting with her aunt for her consultation. They have to wait for a very long time. In the meantime they meet different people. The girl has to translate, because her aunt doesn’t speak English so well.

Character: Simone, a 15 years old girl, loves to spend time with her grandaunt, who doesn’t speak English, just Creole. In the story both characters are static.

Point of view: The story is presented in first-person perspective. It is based on the 'we' and 'I' point of view and in this case it is the protagonist, Simone. You know every detail, every feeling and every action of the main character.

Plot: The story begins with a flashback. The protagonist thinks back about the time with her great-aunt. At breakfast she got distracted by tiny particles floating in the beam of light entering the window. For her this was the most magical thing she has ever seen. But her aunt told her to warn for the tiny, everyday miracles in progress. “Ma Tante” was really like a mother to her.

Setting: The time doesn’t play an important role. Season, weather or any other setting are not relevant in understanding the author’s intent. However, the pivotal point is that we know the location. The story takes place in a local hospital for most of the time.

Tone: The two completely different characters affect the tone of the story.

My first impression was it will be very difficult to read an English text with some words in French and Creole. But later I realized that I can understand the story, also when you don’t speak these languages. Debbie Rigaud has developed her own style of speech and hence this text seems authentic and unique. I also love to explore relationship dynamics between the young and elderly. The teenager has a close bond with her old “Ma Tante”. And, if you ask me, I'm sure other teenagers can learn of elder people who gained experiences in their life.

Marie-Estelle Gastberger 7B