Passage Analysis Essay: All the Years of Her Life

Morley Callaghan’s All the Years of Her Life is set in a store that Alfred Higgins is leaving after his shift. Alfred gets caught stealing some small items and instead of calling the police, Mr. Carr who is Alfred’s boss, instead calls his mother to sort out the issue. The story follows Mr. Carr’s interactions with Mrs. Higgins, as well as Alfred’s observation of his mothers unexpectedly calm and collected attitude. In Callaghan’s short story All the Years of Her Life, Alfred tries to understand why his mother’s behaviour is so unusually composed despite his serious offense. However, as Alfred observes his mother, he comes to a gradual realization of her unconditional love for him, which ultimately leads him to emotionally mature at last. Alfred’s sudden embarrassment, his observation of Mr. Carr, and his gradual understanding of his own mother’s behaviour are all significant to his introspection, and eventually, his emotional growth.

When Alfred first imagines his mother, he fears that she will act in a fit of rage. In fact, Alfred is so confident of this judgement that he is shocked when Mrs. Higgins’ calmly enters the store and begins conversing with Mr. Carr. She seems totally calm despite the situation. This incorrect assumption suddenly sparks an insecurity and embarrassment in Alfred. The passage states: “[Alfred] shifted away with a bit of light shining for a moment on his thin face and tiny pimples … he was turning away uneasily”. Alfred feels ashamed that his mother is so used to his negative behaviour that instead of wasting her energy on anger, she simply tries her best to defend her clearly guilty son. His embarrassment can be captured in his ‘uneasy shifting’ away from the light, as if he is trying to disappear from the adult’s view. Additionally, Callaghan puts a brief emphasis on Alfred’s less-appealing physical features like his “pimples” and his “thin face”, which can be interpreted as bringing attention to an insecurity or a state of self-awareness.

Once Alfred is conscious of both himself and his mother in that moment, his sudden insecurity and embarrassment symbolize his first steps towards emotional development. As Alfred becomes self-aware, he begins to notice changes in the attitude of Mr. Carr. He observes that Mr. Carr is “puzzled” by Mrs. Higgins as he also expected her to act out of emotion rather than show tolerance. The passage mentions, “Alfred was realizing that Mr. Carr had become aware that his mother was really a fine woman”. He notices for the first time that Mr. Carr seems more lenient. He does not seem as upset as he initially was. Alfred realizes that the reason for this is because Mr. Carr sympathizes with his mother, and he is “made to feel a bit ashamed by her vast tolerance”. Mr. Carr’s reaction is similar to Alfred’s as he also feels ashamed for blindly assuming what Mrs. Higgins’ reaction will be. This observed change in Mr. Carr’s attitude makes Alfred begin to slowly understand that Mr. Carr’s calm attitude is a direct reflection of his mother’s composure. By observing Mr. Carr, Alfred is finally able to interpret the actions and behaviours of someone other than himself. This awareness outside of his own ego represents his second step towards emotional maturity.

Alfred has a complex understanding of his mother throughout the given passage. Initially, he is confused about his mother’s behaviour as it does not fit his perceived narrative. Alfred has difficulty understanding why his mother is so calm and gentle as opposed to angry and emotional. This is seen in the start of the passage where it states that “Alfred couldn’t understand his mother’s quiet composure, for if they had been at home … he knew she would have been in a rage”. Alfred is so sure that he knows his mother but he does not realize her actions are a ruse.

When his mother begins conversing with Mr. Carr, Alfred pays attention to her tone as well as Mr. Carr’s reactions to her behaviour. Once Alfred’s mother is able to convince Mr. Carr to simply lay off Alfred without further consequence, then Alfred begins to realize why his mother behaved the way she did. Although he did not come to understand his mother’s facade until afterwards, he was able to gain redemption because of her actions. The text mentions, “she was standing there with that gentle pleading smile”. Alfred gradually begins to understand that his mother’s calm behavior took a lot more of her strength than she showed. Alfred comes to learn that his mother has unconditional love for him, which is a common theme throughout the story.

This love is overlooked by Alfred when he is first confused about his mother’s behaviour. However, once he observes her love through her out-of-character behaviour, it ultimately pushes Alfred towards maturing emotionally. Morley Callaghan’s All the Years of Her Life displays Alfred’s growing moral development through his personal insecurities, his awareness of others’ behaviours, and his growing perception of his own mother. Alfred suddenly becomes aware of his own faults, but also observes how his actions affect the others around him. He soon comes to realize that his mother’s strength is not in her anger, but in her unconditional love for her son. In the end, his mothers diminishing strength becomes the reason for Alfred’s emotional growth.