Andrina by George Mackay Brown Essay -- Critical Essay Short Story Eng

"Andrina" by George Mackay Brown A short story in which an element of mystery plays an important part is "Andrina" by George Mackay Brown, a celebrated author from Orkney. "Andrina" like many of his other works has a spiritual aspect with common themes such as the cycle of the seasons, betrayal, hope and regeneration. "Andrina" is set in Orkney, a perfect location for this tale because of its mystical atmosphere. The haunting, spiritual atmosphere created through the language Geroge Mackay Brown uses adds to the overall effect of the story. In the short story an old seaman receives regular visits from a young lady, Andrina. Then one day she does not come. The same day the narrator falls ill. He soon recovers and goes in search of Andrina whom he has missed during his illness. He can find no one in the village who knows anything about her. This increases the mystery surrounding her character. It is not until the end of the story that he discovers that Andrina is the ghost of his grand-daughter. This news come in a letter which had remained unopened since his illness. The short story has a very unusual narrative structure with an embedded narrative surrounded by an outer frame narrative. The embedded narrative takes us back in time and introduces us to the sea captains past. He narrates the main body of the story in past tense. But the exposition, narrative hook and resolution are all delivered in past tense. This is significant as it represents the cyclical nature of Mackay Browns work. This may also be significant as the reader could take it to mean that all throughout the story the old sea captain knows the ending as the tense change would suggest he does. The authors use of foreshadowing gives the read... ...he news which came in the letter allows the old sea captain to let go of his past and appreciated the physical elements of his life; "where she was dust, a new time was brightening earth and sea". This line demonstrates how the old sea captain is letting go of the troubles which haunt him and the relationship with Andrina. This is very effective in giving resolution both to the old seaman and the reader. The short story has a suitably ambiguous ending as we do not know if Andrina's presence was real or merely a figment of the lonely captains imagination. Nevertheless she certainly brightened up his winter. In conclusion, the development of the mystery surrounding Andrina in the narrative creates suspense and makes Mackay Brown's short story extremely satisfying. He successfully maintains a ghostly and mysterious atmosphere in this unnerving short story.