National 5 English | Sailmaker - Quotes

“Ah’m gonnae get ma da tae fix it up. Ma da’s a sailmaker.”

FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS - Alec thinks very highly of Davie and is proud of his fathers trade as a sailmaker, he associates his father with his former trade and is ashamed with what his father has to do now in order to earn a living.

“Can you no talk tae me these days?”

FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS - As a result of Davie's failure to nurture and look after his son, Alec no longer wants to open up to his father. The pair struggle to communicate with one another, making it the first time Davie realises just how much the two have drifted apart.

“You’ve been drinkin. Ah can smell it.”

FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS - Davies addiction to alcohol leads to conflict between him and his son, Alec gets frustrated seeing his father drunk and is fed up of listening to his excuses. This leads to the final breakdown between the pair.

“Ma bursary money’ll be comin through this week, can pay it wi that.”

FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS - Alec has been neglected and is left to pay the bills with the money he needed for school, Davie is meant to be looking after Alec but due to his gambling habits and lack of motivation it's the other way round.

"Get yerself a good education."

FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS - Davie wants the best for his son, so he encourages him to become educated so that he can escape his working class roots and have a better qualify of life than Davie experienced. However, Davie does not follow this advice and instead of trying to improve his situation he spirals downwards into depression.

“Electricity got cut off son. Couldnae pay the bill.”

POVERTY - Davie has been made redundant and can no longer afford for them to stay in the house, they only have a roof over their heads and not much else as there is no money for food, electricity or heating.

“Take this line tae the bookie”

POVERTY - Davie turns to gambling in hope of winning some money. He uses these bad habits as a way of escaping his current situation but they only make things worse and lead to further problems.

“Ah’ve lost ma job.”

POVERTY - Davie is unhappy and frustrated as he tells Alec that he has lost his job, he is now worried about the future and how he is going to be able to support his son.

"There must be some auld stuff in that glory hole we can burn"

POVERTY - Due to Davie gambling habits he has no money to pay the bills, so he burns the contents of the glory hole in order to stay warm.

“Ah’ve got a bit of bad news for ye son. Yer mammy’s dead.”

GRIEF - Davie is in shock after losing his wife and is trying to explain the sad news to Alec. He repeats the phrase multiple times yet still struggles to comprehend the situation that he is now a part of.

“Away tae Never Never Land!”

GRIEF - Neverland is a faraway place that doesn't exist in the real world so Davie is implying that he thinks there's no escape from his troubles and has lost all enthusiasm of life.

“As long as ye keep movin it doesnae hit ye.”

GRIEF - Davie busies himself to avoid his emotions he tries to explain to Alec that if you are busy the thoughts leave your mind. He is clearly not coping well and is only avoiding his feelings for now.

"I was standing there, crying – real big deep sobs."

GRIEF - At this point of the play Alec is presented as childlike and struggles to cope with traumatic experience. He openly expresses his feelings unlike Davie who keeps his hidden and puts on a brave face when talking to Alec.

"Just for a minute a gap opened up, a wee patch of clear blue."

GRIEF - Alec is struggling to deal with grief but is given piece of mind when the clear blue sky appears, he believes his mum is watching over him and finds comfort in knowing that she is in heaven.

"Comin hames the worst. The boys oot playing hoose is empty"

GRIEF - Davie feels isolated and lonely when he arrives home, the realisation that his life has changed hits him with a strong emotional reaction. He is aware that he must now care for Alec, but can't find the motivation to do so.

“Ah’ve passed!”

SOCIAL CLASS - Alec took his fathers advice and got accepted into private school. This allows him to escape his working class roots and seize new opportunities, making him more successful than his father ever was.

“Factory’s shuttin doon right enough son.”

SOCIAL CLASS - Davie is realising the reality of the situation and is now challenged with not only grief but a lack of money as he continues to lose jobs. This leads to him becoming even more depressed and unable to control his drinking habits.

“Maybe he’s gettin fish suppers for the tea.”

SOCIAL CLASS - Alec and Davie don't have much money. They are spending it on takeaways that they can’t really afford. Davie isn't very good at cooking either as he is used to his wife making the dinner, so he struggles to adjust to her no longer being there.

"Get a decent job. Collar and tie. Never have tae take your jacket off."

SOCIAL CLASS - Davie wants Alec to succeed in life so he encourages his son to become educated in order to escape his working class roots and have a better quality of life than what Davie experienced himself. However Davie does not follow his own advice and instead of trying to improve his situation he spirals downwards into depression.

"I wedged it into the fire"

YACHT - The toy yacht is the last item to be burned from the glory hole. It symbolises the end of Davie and Alec's relationship and that he's ready to move onto a (hopefully) better life and seize new opportunities. His father is left behind in Govan.

“Ah always meant to. Just…”

YACHT - Davie explains to Alec that he cannot find the inclination to motivate himself to fix the yacht, he never seems to be in the right frame of mind to sit down and make a sail. This demonstrates his emotional turmoil and the effect of grief on his life.

"Ah had a yacht. Y'ought to see it."

YACHT - Alec has high hopes for Davie and shows pride in his fathers trade he associates his father with his former trade as the job of a tick man was not highly regarded.

“-when ah’ve got the time.”

YACHT - Alec asks his father to make a sail for his yacht and even after Billy paints it he still pushes the task to the side. He never does make the sail which implies his inability to move on and motivate himself out of his grief and depression.

“Cannae burn a hymnbook.”

RELIGION - Davie is resistant to burning a hymn book which suggests that perhaps he does have a more deeply ingrained faith, he remind us that he once dreamt of a life as a missionary.

“If the Lord Jesus had come into my heart, I should know.”

RELIGION - Alec does not completely understand the phrase but eventually realises that the inner peace that he's feeling must be the fact that he's accepted the lord into his life.

"It was good to feel good."

RELIGION - Alec finds comfort in his religious beliefs and believes that God has sent him a sign when the patch of blue sky appears he feels as if his mum is watching over him and is given piece of mind knowing she's in heaven.

“When did the Lord Jesus come into your heart?”

RELIGION - Alec is made uncomfortable when asked about his personal reasons behind his faith. He finds it difficult to answer the woman's question, making him realise he's just been using religion as a way of occupying his time.

"Ah give up!"

CHARACTER OF DAVIE - Davie is seeking advice as he no longer understands what to do with his life, he has reached a stage of despair and confusion and this is made obvious with his anger in his reply to Alec. This leaves Alec feeling upset and worried about the future.

"There's just you and me now son. Have tae make the best of it."

CHARACTER OF DAVIE - Davie takes on the role as father and mother and tries to stay positive when talking to Alec, he hides his emotions and tries to sound convincing that he will cope just fine but he does not foresee how difficult the task is going to be.

"As long as ye keep moving it doesn't hit ye."

CHARACTER OF DAVIE - Davie busies himself to avoid his emotions he tries to explain to Alec that if you are busy the thoughts leave your mind. He is clearly not coping well and is only avoiding his feelings for now.

“I was standing there, crying – real big deep sobs.”

CHARACTER OF ALEC - At this point of the play Alec is presented as childlike and struggles to cope with traumatic experience. He openly expresses his feelings unlike Davie who keeps his hidden and puts on a brave face when talking to Alec.

"How come ye chucked yer trade."

CHARACTER OF ALEC - Alec is disappointed that his father has left his job and doesn't understand that he's been made redundant. Alec seems unhappy too as he knew his father was proud of trade.

"Ah might get a wee place ae ma own."

CHARACTER OF ALEC - Alec has intention of moving out away from his father as he heads off to university. The pair have distanced themselves from each other and Alec is getting a fresh start. His education has allowed him to work onwards and upwards whilst Davie remains depressed and unmotivated in Govan.