The Prison

What do you see yourself doing in 10 years’ time?
In your books, write down 5 things

What do you think his life will be like in 10
years’ time? Why?
“The Prison” by Bernard Malamud
“Though he tried not to think about it, at

twenty-nine Tommy Castelli’s life was a
screaming bore.”
What kind of
things could
make a young
man feel like he
was in a prison?
In your own words
• Summarise in 50-80 words what
Tommy’s predicament is, as shown
by the opening paragraph of the
story.
Writer’s effects: In the first 3 paragraphs the
author, Malamud, has managed to draw a
clear picture of how miserable the protagonist
(Tommy) feels.
Let’s analyse how he did this.

1 Find 5 verbs which create an unpleasant
impression.
2 Find 4 negative things Tommy says about
Rosa.
Analysing writer’s effects (cont.)
3 What can you say about these phrases:

a) ‘trapped in old mistakes’ – what literary
device? Effect?
b) ‘the whole day stank’ – what literary device?
Effect?
c) ‘Time rotted in him’ – what literary device?
Effect?
Your turn
• Read the story’s fourth paragraph and
comment on writer’s effects. Answer the
questions below.
1 What does the phrase ‘rock-faced mother’
connote?
2 What does ‘two hot dimes’ (coins) suggest?
Read the rest of the story. Use the glossary to help you.
Make notes to answer these questions:
1 How has Tommy’s past led to his current situation?
2 What role did Uncle Dom play in his life?

3 Why do you think Tommy wants to help the girl?
4 Why does he find it so hard to speak to her?
5 Why do you think Tommy is so violent to his wife at
the end?
6 How do you feel when you read the last line of the
story?
Exam Practice: Explore in detail
the ways in which Malamud
memorably portrays suffering in
‘The Prison’
Exam Practice: Explore in detail the ways in which Malamud
memorably portrays suffering in ‘The Prison’ - Guided
Think about:
1. How does Malamud show Tommy’s boredom in the stultifying shop
through use of language?
2. How do Tommy’s thoughts about his past mistakes reveal his sense
of suffering and entrapment? How has he tried to escape his fate?
3. Discuss the role of money / lack of opportunity / the influence of his
neighbourhood in contributing to his suffering
4. Discuss his relationship with his wife - as a kid he had many dreams
and schemes but everything changed after he married; discuss how
he blames his wife and how that reinforces his sense of unhappiness
5. Discuss his friendship with the girl and how his attempt to intervene
in her life is driven by his own life experiences and a wish to be
better. Show how the outcome of his intervention results in violence
and deceit. There is no happy ending / escape for Tommy.
1. How does Malamud show Tommy’s
boredom in the stultifying shop
through use of language?
2. How do Tommy’s thoughts about his past
mistakes reveal his sense of suffering and
entrapment? How has he tried to escape his
fate?
3. Discuss the role of money / lack of
opportunity / the influence of his
neighbourhood in contributing to his suffering
4. Discuss his relationship with his wife - as a
kid he had many dreams and schemes but
everything changed after he married; discuss
how he blames his wife and how that
reinforces his sense of unhappiness
5. Discuss his friendship with the girl and how
his attempt to intervene in her life is driven by
his own life experiences and a wish to be
better. Show how the outcome of his
intervention results in violence and deceit.
There is no happy ending / escape for Tommy.
Assessment Criteria
Assessment Criteria
Comments and feedback:

Correct use of PETER structure
Clear structure – introduction, body, conclusion
P: Clear point sentence
E: Using embedded quotations and quotation marks
T: More detailed analysis of technique / language
E: More detailed explanation of the writers’ choice of language
R: More detailed explanation of the effect of the reader
Clearer links back to the question
More formal register and style
More ambitious / appropriate vocabulary and sentence structure
Correct spelling, grammar and punctuation throughout
Example responses:
The first and in many ways the strongest device / technique utilised by
Bernard Malamud to introduce the character of Tommy Castellli is the
persistent use of imagery which was carried out in anecdotal form. The use
of this form of writing meant that Malamud was able to organise this
introduction in such a away that it flowed in chronological order. Examples
of this imagery are scattered throughout the extract, however the most
striking came when he said, “began to hang out with the grey-matted,
thick-soled-shoe boys.” This allows the reader to make a clear visualization
of who Tommy was around in his younger years, troublesome mafia-like
figures that give negative connotations about character of Tommy Castelli.
Thus particular use of imagery des not shape who Castelli in throughout
the story, however the visualization of a young , innocent man in the
company of mafia-like figures does indeed strike the reader.
Malamund uses polysemy to show the depth of pain and suffering
Tommy feel while being trapped in his ‘prison-like’ life. Describing his
life as a “screaming bore”, which has more than one meaning forces
the reader to try and understand the profundity of his suffering.
“Screaming bore” can be understood as an act of screaming out of
boredom or as a screaming pig-like animal when in danger or pain.
“Honest living” is yet another example of polysemy that Malamund
uses. The phrase “honest living” can be seen as receiving a good
amount of money for good work or as earning money legally and not
through crime. Both meanings to eh phrase relate to Tommy’s life as
he is often frustrated by his boring life and finds it painful to not be
able to change the course of it.
The title ‘The Prison’ is an idiom. The title reflects Tommy
Castelli’s life as a prison while he isn’t actually in prison.
This idiom acts as a …. Too. For certain time people are
given ‘life sentences” which tends to be a jail term of
twenty-five years. Similarly one can say that Tommy
Castelli is sentences to life as his life is similar to that of a
prison inmates’ in terms of happiness. This gives the
reader the idea of how Tommy Castell constantly suffers
from depression and failure; it gives the reader the idea
that Tommy doesn’t have freedom, albeit he is free.
An example of his use of language would be: “Tommy
Castelli’s life was a screaming bore.” Malamund jumps right
into the story and immediately hooks the reader onto his
story, instead of adding a boring introduction. He does this
by using ambitious vocabulary such as “screaming bore”.
This quote clearly identifies the character has a boring and
unhappy life. The author uses words such as “screaming
bore” instead of just “boring” to add more detail to the
story. By using strong adjectives, the success of hooking the
reader onto the story will be a higher chance.
Exam practice
1. Re-read the question – what is it asking you to
do?
2. Check your plan – have you included quotations?
Have you included language analysis?
3. Write one PETER paragraph responding to the
question.
4. Swap and peer-assess using the assessment
criteria and checklist. Give a grade, a WWW and
an EBI.

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What is Tommy Castelli's predicament according to the opening paragraph?

What kind of things could make a young man feel like he is in prison?

What do you see yourself doing in 10 years’ time?

In your books, write down 5 things

“Though he tried not to think about it, at

Let’s analyse how he did this.

3 What can you say about these phrases:

2 What role did Uncle Dom play in his life?

Comments and feedback:

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