Introduction

In spite of the linguistic license that defines Roddy Doyle’s The Snapper, the characters maintain crucial silences throughout in relation to meaningful issues. This episode examines the system of self-imposed censorship that operates among the female characters in particular and how it leads to isolation and an absence of true intimacy. The psychological impact of the changing social and moral landscape of the nation can be registered in this private retreat from externalisation and engagement. Implicit in the novel’s concern with birth is the possibility of rebirth and transformation, and so The Snapper suggests that the solitude that separates the female characters from one another can be overcome.

Louise Callinan

Louise Callinan is currently an Assistant Lecturer in the Department of English at St Patrick's College. Her research interests are in the areas of American and African-American theatre, and she is currently working on a book on the late plays of Arthur Miller.