By referring to Jerry as the "English boy," the narrator immediately identifies him with his home country, as opposed to the country in which he and his mother are vacationing. Later, despite the fact that his name had already been used, Jerry is referred to in this way again when he is attempting to fit in with the older boys who were "of that coast" and "burned smooth dark brown" and speaking a language that...
By referring to Jerry as the "English boy," the narrator immediately identifies him with his home country, as opposed to the country in which he and his mother are vacationing. Later, despite the fact that his name had already been used, Jerry is referred to in this way again when he is attempting to fit in with the older boys who were "of that coast" and "burned smooth dark brown" and speaking a language that Jerry cannot understand. That Jerry later attempts French with them seems to indicate that they are in the French Riviera, a popular holiday destination for Britons. In other words, then, identifying him as "the English boy" makes Jerry's outsider status clear. He is not only a foreigner, but he is also younger than they are, and this makes it that much more of a triumph when the boys seem to accept him, at least for a while.
Further, by referring to Jerry as "the English boy," Lessing directs our attention away from what might make Jerry an individual and helps us to understand that he can be interpreted as a sort of "every man" (or, in this case, every boy) character. Everyone goes through this process of wanting to grow up and perhaps taking on things they aren't quite ready for in an effort to prove their maturity. We all come of age, just like Jerry begins to do in this story.
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