The Star

by Alasdair Gray

Prepared by: Ahmed Issa El Qattawi
Supervised by: Dr. Sami El Braim
 Outline
❑ Brief biography of the author.
❑ Summary.
❑ Plot summary.
❑ Characters.
❑ Characteristic of Cameron.
❑ Best quotations.
❑ Settings.
❑ Symbolism.
❑ Themes.
❑ Conclusion
Author’s biography
❑ Alasdair Gray is a Scottish writer and
artist.
❑ He was born on 28th December 1934.
❑ His most acclaimed work is his first novel,
Lanark.

❑ Gray’s work combine elements of  realism,
fantasy and science fiction, plus clever
use of typography and his own
illustration.
❑ One of his fascinating quotations is:
“Work as if you live in the early days of a
better nation.”
 Summary

❑ The story is about a boy named

Cameron, who sees a star falling
down. He goes to the place where
the star was fallen and takes the
star with him and then put it in his
pocket. The star is cold, but
whenever he touches the star, then
he feels relaxed and relieved. Every
time when he feels lonely or upset,
he keeps the star out and takes a
glance on it.
 Summary
❑ Once, he keeps the star in the
school out, the teacher notice it
and order Cameron firmly to give it
to him, but Cameron all of a sudden
decide to swallow the star thinking
he would be one of them and then
he lost consciousness.
 Plot summary
❑ Cameron was a daydreamer boy who
seems to be always introvert and
neglected, and so he thought the idea
of creating a new identity of him in an
imaginary world is much better than
living in a bitter one where nobody
support him or even take care of him
and by doing that he would enjoy
living a delightful life and run away
from his obstacles and problems he
faces in the real life of his own.
 Characters

❑ Major characters:
➢ Cameron the main character.

❑ Minor characters:
● The star.
● His Parents.
● His brother.
● His teacher  at school.
● His classmates  in the same class.
 Characteristics of Cameron
❑ Cameron is a young boy, who lives with
his brother and parents. He goes to
school and has not many friends. His
parents are often self-employed and
so he feels often lonely. Cameron is a
daydreamer. He sit in front of the
window once in a while and looks out.
He sounds a timid person. When he
keeps the star out, he is relieved. The
star is his secret and not a soul knows
about it.
 Best quotations

❑ “A star had fallen beyond the
horizon, in Canada perhaps( he
had an aunt in Canada).” that
indicates he is a daydreamer.

❑ “He said in a small voice, “Am
gawn out.”­ shows he is timid (shy).
 Best quotations

● “He slipped through the lobby and onto
the stair head, banging the door after him.
”­ means he is resentful( feeling bad).

● “A second star had fallen Beyond the
iron works.”­ describing his poverty.

● “A precious bit of green and yellow
velvet(smoothness).”­ describing an
imaginary world where he feels secure.
 Best quotations
❑ “At school one afternoon he decided
to take a quick look…”­ means that
students feel bored and tired.
❑ “He was at the back of his class room
in a desk by himself”.­ indicates he
feels lonely and has no friends.
❑ “All heads were bowed over books..”­
shows the maltreatment of his
teacher.
 Settings
❑ Time:  almost two weeks.
❑ Place:  At home and school.
❑ Whether conditions: Cold night.
❑ Social conditions :
➢ Poverty.
➢ Loneliness and negligence.
➢ Teacher‛s maltreatment .
➢ Introversion and not speaking to
anybody.
❑ Mood or atmosphere : a cheerful and
bright feeling is created at the
beginning of the story.
 Symbolism
❑ Cameron, who is a symbol on behalf of
the rest of the children who live all
over the world in despair and
loneliness.
❑ His parents: represent the
irresponsibility towards their children.
❑ Teacher: represents the overbearing
and tough authority used as a system
at school.
❑ Star: Glass marble is a symbol of an
imaginative world for children, who
have social and psychological problems
in life.
 Themes
❑ Conveying a significant message to the
reader which is that our parents should
be playing an important role in our life
who can fix our problems that we
encounter in life.
❑ Shedding the light upon our teachers who
should be part in supporting the student
and give a hand whenever needed and not
encouraging maltreatment.
❑ Poverty is a major cause of social tensions
and threatens to divide a nation because
of the issue of inequalities, in particular
income inequality.
 Themes
❑ Negligence and loneliness that
reflect a shaking personality and
being an introvert would shrink your
ability to communicate and socialize
with people around; therefore, you
need to contribute in making a
difference by socializing in your
community for your own good.
 Conclusion
❑ The message that is conveyed so far
after explaining the previous elements of
the story is:

➢  To highlight the importance of family

relationship and its bright effect on
children.
➢ To pinpoint how teachers should deal with
all students based on understanding and
giving a second chance.
➢ To reflect children‛s nature of living a
bitter life such as, children labor,
children abuse, school maltreatment, and
Thanks For Paying Attention