ddyRoddy Doyle’s Paddy Clark: No More Laughing for PaddyYer Name Here Poetry/Fiction Paddy ClarkeRoddy Doyle’s Paddy Clarke HA HA HA was a beautifully written book. Itperfectly captures the mind of a ten year old boy in Ireland during the mid-1960’s. Paddy Clarke, the young boy who Doyle uses to enter the mind of a tenyear old, is a boy who most can relate to. The book explores most aspects oflife through the eyes of Paddy. Doyle takes us through childhood and childhood’send. Doyle is able to seize the complexities of life, but at the same timesimplify them enough for ten year old.
Everything is a mystery or an adventure to Paddy and his friends. Fromtaking over construction sites to receiving polio check-ups. However noteverything is a game to Paddy. His parents lack of compatibility troubles Paddyand his brother Sinbad greatly.
The intensity of his parents argumentsaccelerate as the book goes on. At times Paddy feels he can stop them, at onepoint he considers himself a “referee” in the fights. “I didn’t know what I’d do. If I was there he wouldn’t do it again, that was all.
“(p. 191) He ends upcontemplating who he would want to win. He comes to the conclusion that he wouldwant his mom to win because she does so much for him, however his father is hisfather and he loves him. Sinbad reacts differently to his parents fighting.
He doesn’t try tointervene or stop them. In fact he closes up, he implodes emotionally. He cutshimself off from everyone. During one of their parents arguments Paddy tries totalk to Sinbad, but Sinbad shuts himself off. “”Sinbad?” He didn’t answer.
Hewasn’t asleep though, I knew the breathing. I could hear him listening. I didn’tmove. I didn’t want him to think I was going to get him. ” (p. 222)This drama did not effect me as much as the daily life.
The fights Icould not relate to. I had never experienced arguments of such high caliber. Butinevitably I had experienced the life of a ten year old. I could relate toPaddy’s reactions to certain situations at school. For instance when Paddy andhis grade are in line to receive check-ups a joke is made and Paddy says, ” Ilaughed harder than I had to.
We all did” (p. 144). Doyle was able to allow me to not just be a reader but an actor. He wasable to make me believe that I was part of Paddy Clarke. Just the way the bookwas set up brought me closer to the days of being ten.
The book was formattedlike Paddy’s mind. Jumping from thought to thought and scene to scene. This lowattention span was what really brought me in to Doyle’s world. I believe that this book won the Booker Prize because of the way thebook is able to avoid sentiment but touch on the important aspects of being ten. Doyle is able to take the life of a young boy and make it interesting, humorous,and most of all meaningful. It touches on subjects of life that adults stillhave trouble conquering.
“Why do people not like each other?” is a questionPaddy poses in the book. What seems to be a simple question asked in an innocentway, is actually a question that has stumped many. It may seem redundant, butthe true reason the book is so powerful is how all the elements are put togetherto form this masterpiece. Not many books allow the reader to feel like you areone of the characters. The most puzzling part of the book is the title.
Paddy Clarke HA HA HAappears to simple enough but it is loaded with meaning. The title is only usedonce in the book and it is on the second to last page. “Paddy Clarke, PaddyClarke has no da. Ha ha ha!” The book deals with Paddy shedding his childhoodways and taking on the responsibilities of adulthood. A significant part of howthe title is placed in the book is the line right after it. Paddy says,” Ididn’t listen to them.
They were only kids. ” Earlier in the book Paddy was oftenmaking fun of other kids. He was convinced his family was perfect. But now whenthings are not so perfect and Paddy is forced to step up as man of the house, hecrosses over the line into adulthood.
Instead of retaliating like he would havedone earlier in the book, Paddy simply does the mature thing and ignores them. The key phrase is “does the mature thing”. Finally Paddy has shed the coat ofchildhood. And to back this thesis up even further on the last page of the bookPaddy sees his father after a long period of his parents being separated.
Headdress him with a handshake and a” how are you?”. To me this truly defined hismaturity. Roddy Doyle truly touched me through Paddy Clarke. Very seldomly do youget to finish a book with such a sense of fulfillment, but yet a yearning formore. It is a feeling that is seldom used.
Doyle was able to stir up memories,thoughts, opinions, and emotions I had forgot I had. He was able to bring meback to the good old days of innocence and exploration, he was able to make meten again.English
