Innledning
"Flotsam and Jetsam" is a captivating short story penned by the Scottish writer, Alan Bissett. It found its place in the collection Elsewhere: There, which was published in 2012.
Bissett's literary themes delve into the complexities of social and political relationships. The narrative revolves around Kate, a Scottish woman on holiday in the picturesque Zanzibar, where she seeks solace from the aftermath of being laid off due to UK government cuts.
Utdrag
Her contemplations about the welfare of the locals in their own country are evident. She can discern the prevalent mindset in the African nation, where wealth seems to be the defining factor of one's worth.
As the story unfolds, she reflects on how she has been perceived since her arrival in Zanzibar. The locals and hotel staff treat her like a wealthy Westerner, and she can't help but feel uncomfortable with this preferential treatment.
Multiple times in the text, she acknowledges feeling like an intruder and experiencing a sense of guilt. It becomes apparent to her that the island no longer solely belongs to the locals; instead, it has been claimed by tourists, diminishing the importance of the locals in their own land.
“After all, she was the intruder here. She was the one who’d been picked up in an airconditioned car at the airport and driven through shanty towns, full of houses with straw doors and roofs of corrugated tin, where children carried litres of water down dirt tracks” (PP.4-5, L.106-109).
As she arrived in Zanzibar, Kate couldn't help but notice the stark difference in living standards between the locals and herself.
During her journey to the hotel, she observed how the locals lived without the luxuries she took for granted, like air-conditioned transportation.
Kate's physical appearance remains somewhat of a mystery, as the narrator doesn't provide a detailed description.
Legg igjen en kommentar