A Gap of Sky

A gap of sky is a short story written by Anna Hope. The short story takes place in central London where Ellie our main character lives and study. We get to know that Ellie is a student at a university but which university she studies at we do not know.

The story takes place in an afternoon in Ellies life. Last night she had been at a party where she got drunk, smoked crack and did cocaine. When the story begin it is 16.29 in the afternoon Ellie is stressed, she has to turn in a paper 9 o'clock the next day. Ellie rushes out of bed and down the corridor, which tells us that she properly lives at a college with other students. Ellie has to go get some printer ink so that she is able to turn in the paper. She heads down to find an open shop, but finds out that it is closed. She therefore tries to get to Tottenham Court Road where there are plenty shops open so she can get her ink.

On her way to Tottenham Court Road she finds something unusual. When she stops at an iron rail she turns her head and sees something down the rail. When she gets closer to the object on the rail, she finds that it is a glove with the middle finger raised. Ellie finds this kind of symbol funny and in some way it kind of suits whole her situation and her attitude. Ellie is a person who courses and a person who does not fit in to the regular society, and the raised middle finger symbols her way of looking at things. She does not really care that much in the beginning of the story and she finds her educational situation funny and blames her parents. The glove with the raised middle finger enhances her situation and her way of looking at society. Suddenly Ellie gets a feeling of freedom and as she says:

"Life seems, suddenly, filled with possibility, with giddy possibility, with irreverence, with delight, for what, really, was there to be reverent to? To whom? To what? To why? To God? To Mum? To Dad? Not them especially not them. It was their fault she was doing this bloody course in the first place. "

This quote shows what type of person she is. Ellie do not feel any kind of responsibility to anyone or anything. She is completely free; the only thing that matters is herself and what she wants to do, "Fuck Virginia woolf" she says. Her attitude towards her essay changes drastically after Ellies trip to the British Museum. When she enters the museum it seems like she gets an breakdown:

" Ellie's head is throbbing and her skull feels as though it might split open and she really feels as though she might die. And what will happen to her if she dies?"

After this horrible incident Ellie's mind changes. And when a man opens a door light fills the room and Ellie seems to be happy about the situation. She says:

"Ellie begins to feel a little better. She will not die, after all. So silly! Not yet. Not for a long time. She is only nineteen, only living, and if that was sometimes a