It’s a Guy Thing

“Two is a dangerous number!”

Hassan Anis • English • 11b2 • About a Boy • Ms. Zeindelhofer • Deutsche Evangelische Oberschule

I. Analysis
Woodruff influences his readers through various techniques. He uses an ironic and a humorous tone,
which makes his reader easily identify with him. A clear example of Woodruff’s humor is the
following sentence: “It’s Will’s will, dammit, and nobody had better tell Freeman he can’t be free.”
(ll.4-5) Another stylistic device used by Woodruff is repetition, like “gone, gone, gone”(l.16). He uses
this tool to emphasize certain facts. These stylistic devices are used to connect with the readers with
humour, thus grasping their attention.

The sentence mentioned above, “It’s Will’s will, dammit, and nobody had better tell Freeman he
can’t be free.”, also gives us an indication to Woodruff’s style. I believe that his decision to use the
neutral style is a very wise one. The neutral style falls between the formal and the informal style,
thus making Woodruff capable of convincing different types of readers of his message. Although
most of the text is written in a more colloquial English, rather than formal English, his use of formal
phrases and words, make him seem as a reviewer, who knows what he is talking about; it gives him
more credibility. An example of his formal phrasing would be: “thus forming the basis of the book’s
story”(l.11), “[…]is a pleasant, satisfying read, the kind that touches sentimental nerves”(l.12). There
are a lot of words throughout the review, which can be classified as formal, like: “indulge”,
“frivolities”(l.21), “refusal”(l.35) and “communicates via loose, casual prose”(l.44)

In my opinion, the review’s style and choice of words is dominated by colloquialism. The constant
use of slang and taboo words like “crap”, “obnoxious”, “butt kicking” and “chick” might be a tool
used by Woodruff to persuade young readers with his ideas. Other examples of colloquialisms are:
“I-couldn’t-care-less effect”(l.31), “breaking into bouts of sobbing for no apparent reason” (ll.25-26),
“he can pick up on single mothers, whom he discovers are even easier to bed and dump than
swinging bachelorettes” (ll.8-9) and “cooler-than-thou”(l.46). Woodruff’s constant use of
abbreviations like “it’s” and “what’s” instead of it is and what is, might also be means of connection
with his younger readers.

With all of what is mentioned above taken into consideration, one should not overlook the influence
of Woodruff’s neutrality towards the book has on winning over his readers. You get the impression
while reading the article that Woodruff doesn’t have any grudge against the book or its author that
is why he neutrally lists the aspects that make him favor and criticize the book. He makes the reader
respect his opinion by fairly arguing for and against this book and by constantly giving examples and
quotations to support his ideas or statements.
(443 words)
b) Chosen section of About a Boy: Chapter 4 (p.27)

I chose this section because the personal narrator has a great influence on the image which the
reader gets of Will. The personal narrator is telling us about what’s going on in Will’s mind after
Angie decides to end their relationship. The reader is told how Will is handling this usually sad news.
Instead of being sad or depressed, Will is wondering about the last time he was in a position to
“bestow forgiveness”. The narrator also states the fact that Will loved the last night most out of all
of the nights he had spent with Angie. He also puts Wills reaction towards this news in words. He
says that for Will single mothers were a chance to have great sex, an ego message, temporary
parenthood and a guilt-free parting. He also sees a relationship with single mothers as a relationship
with “women who would start off by thinking that they wanted a regular f***, and end up deciding
that a quiet life is worth any number of noisy orgasms”. He does not evaluate the emotional aspect
of the relationship, but rather looks at it as a great way to fornicate for a certain period of time, until
his “partner” decides that she would rather have a quiet, single life.

The image that we get of Will through the personal narrator is that Will is a shallow person, who is
emotionally cold and detached. He is someone who lives in his “own bubble” (p.69), someone that
doesn’t want to play any role in somebody else’s life nor wants to be dependent on someone else.

(265 words)

II. Composition

At the end of his article, Woodruff claims that “the book doesn’t leave you with much to remember
after you’ve finished.” My close examination of the book makes me agree with this statement. I
believe that Woodruff didn’t take a close look at the messages the novel had to offer. Nick Horny
mentions different problems in his book. From suicidal single parents to the mechanisms of failure to
school bullying to teenager’s love stories to the development of shallow characters, this coming-of-
age novel has something for everybody, but unfortunately, it does not offer any solutions to these
problems. Another reason, why I do agree with this statement is that Hornby discusses a lot of topics
without concentrating and really tackling them. It is thoughtful of him to mention these topics and
create a story around them, but how does he discuss them?

Fiona’s difficult, cruel life embodies the struggles every single mother has to go through in her life.
Having to raise her son by herself while dealing with the financial pressure not to mention her
misery deriving from her failure in finding a new boyfriend, Fiona simply lets go and commits suicide.
Hornby brings the topic of single mothers and their suicidal tendencies to the table. Proving that it
was not just a problem back in 1998, according to Custodial Mothers and Fathers and Their Child
Support: 2005, released by the U.S. Census Bureau in August, 2007, there are approximately 13.6
million single parents in the United States today, and those parents are responsible for raising 21.2
million children, which make up approximately 26% of children under 21 in the U.S. today. According
to this study 27.7% of custodial single mothers and their children live in poverty. That is more than
7% of American children!1 Another study published in 2003 states that the risk of suicide among
single-parent children was more than double that for children raised by both their parents and drug
abuse was more than four times higher.2 Single mothers are also at a greater risk to suffer from
depression, which could lead to suicide, than married women. In a recent study of 2,921 single and
married mothers it was discovered that single mothers have a 40% higher incidence of major
depression, with a depressive episode lasting an average of 12 months.3 These worrying statistics
show us that Hornby was right when he chose to discuss this problem in his book.

Hornby also incorporates the issue of bullying in school into his story. One of the protagonists,
Marcus, gets bullied by his classmates due to his somewhat different behaviour. Fiona, his mother,
has a great influence on her son and not deliberately turns him into an outsider. He gets taunted,
nit-picked, humiliated and even physically offended. School bullying is another problem that
concerns the public opinion. Bullying is affecting children's health and education. Statistics show that
3% of victims in the UK were school refusers; 6% had been removed from school; and 1% of parents
saw no solution to the problem other than to move home. The consequences can be tragic - as many
as 16 children a year in the UK are driven to suicide.4

Hornby’s other protagonist, Will, symbolizes a generation that sees itself indifferent to its society
and that doesn’t benefit its community. He also embodies the perception, that it is cool to have one
night stands and sleep with women without being emotionally attached to them. Will is a
dysfunctional member of society, who lives off the money he had inherited from his father, who’s
only achievement was writing the Christmas Carol “Santa’s Super Sleigh”. He is shallow and only
cares about himself and how he is going to get in bed with women. But finally, after going through
many experiences with Marcus and Rachel he realizes that hard work and effort are worthwhile and
that his life should have a meaning and a purpose. Will’s character sends a message to all those who
favor being lazy than being beneficial.

Another topic Hornby tries to tackle is that everybody should act their age, a statement I do not
agree with. In my opinion, children or teenagers have to act more maturely sometimes, when they
are given a certain responsibility or have younger siblings, which they should take care of. On the
other hand, adults should release their inner child out every once in a while. A great example of
releasing his inner child every once in a while is Sir. Richard Branson. The British industrialist, best
known for his Virgin brand of over 360 companies. Branson's first successful business venture was at
age 16, when he published a magazine called Student. He then set up an audio record mail-order
business in 1970. In 1972, he opened a chain of record stores, Virgin Records, later known as Virgin
Megastores. Richard Branson made several world record-breaking attempts after 1985, when in the
spirit of the Blue Riband he attempted the fastest Atlantic Ocean crossing. In 1986, in his "Virgin

1
http://singleparents.about.com/od/legalissues/p/portrait.htm
2
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-96808983.html
3
http://www.mental-health-matters.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=348
4
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/schoolgate/aboutschool/content/2discipline.shtml
Atlantic Challenger II", with sailing expert Daniel McCarthy, he beat the record by two hours. A year
later his hot air balloon "Virgin Atlantic Flyer" crossed the Atlantic. This was the first hot-air balloon
crossing the Atlantic. In January 1991, Branson crossed the Pacific from Japan to Arctic Canada
breaking the record, with a speed of 245 miles per hour (394 km/h).In late 1998 he made a record-
breaking flight from Morocco to Hawaii. In March 2004, Branson set a record by travelling from
Dover to Calais in a Gibbs Aquada, in 1 hour, 40 minutes, and 6 seconds, the fastest crossing of the
English Channel in an amphibious vehicle. 5

In conclusion, I believe that “About a Boy” leaves the reader with a lot of topics to think about, but
without any real solution. Although this book talks about a lot of important topics, I believe, that
they would have been better discussed in an article or an essay. Because the book did not satisfy me
neither in the style it is written with, or the plot altogether, I have to say, that Hornby did not write a
book that is memorable, although it is a read, which one could use to pass the time with.

(1044 words)

5
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Branson#World_record_attempts