“As usual, in Cicely's presence, he was afraid of appearing inarticulate, and as usual, this fear robbed him of his power of speech.”
The narrative centers on the protagonist, Ben, being infatuated with the most beautiful girl in the neighboring school, Cicely. As she is also the object of other boys’ affections, every teenage boy wants to be the one to impress her. Thus in the assertion, Ben being an introverted teenager is afraid to embarrass himself in front of her. He values articulation and the power of words evident through his love of writing lyrics, especially romantic ones. Hence this further cripples him when he is certain that the spoken word will fail him in expressing himself. As much as he wants to date her, he wishes for her to be an infatuation rather than approach her with a romantic intent and embarrass himself or get rejected.
“It was the world, the world itself that was beyond his reach, this whole absurdly vast, complex, random, measureless construct, this never-ending ebb and flow of human relations, political relations, cultures, histories . . . How could anyone hope to master such things?”
The interlaced stories of the characters are set in the background of political tensions and the changing cultural scene of the era. As Ben and his friends come of age they learn the concepts of life that frankly surpass their comprehension and seek solace in music. The Irish-British conflict that involved opposing political interests leading to The Troubles confused the younger demographic. Furthermore, the emergence of conflicting ethos in popular culture. In the statement, Ben’s state of mind is expressed in how all these elements are too complex to be understood.
“Music always made sense. The music he heard that night was lucid, knowable, full of intelligence and humour, wistfulness and energy and hope. He would never understand the world, but he would always love this music.”
The assertion further accentuates the significance of music, Ben akin to other young people, found music to make much more sense than the world. At an era where political changes were taking place and subsequently political strikes and IRA bombings, the culture gravitated towards anti-establishment. Thus, the adoption of progressive and punk culture among young people. The characters are molding their own identities through the passion they have towards music. Ben among others seek to understand or express their views of the world through the only avenue they know best, music.
