Noughts and Crosses Analysis

Novels help authors to explore a range of important issues in society, which Malorie Blackman clearly portrays through Noughts and Crosses. This novel follows the lives and experiences of two characters, Callum and Sephy. Throughout the book Blackman deals with a number of key issues including racism and prejudice, love and friendship and lastly, violent and peaceful protest. These themes are identified through different layers of meaning of her writing using textual evidence. This is conveyed through the narrative techniques of characterisation, structure and language in order to communicate the important messages to the readers.

Blackman has created a world of her own to contrast the society we live in, …show more content…

“Blanker” is used to describe a blank, worthless, brainless white person. “ I bet it was one of her blanker friends, they’re blank by name and blank by nature”. And “dagger” is used to represent something dangerous, even deadly that one must take very seriously. So the world is divided into two opposite camps who show no interest in meeting on the middle.

The structure of the novel is essential in displaying the issues of racism from both sides of the story. The story starts with a prologue, which sets the scene and introduces the world of conflict and hatred. The novel is divided into parts, which are further divided to show the different views of Sephy and Callum. These alternating point of views in the structure allow the reader to be presented with a number of issues coming from both sides which are completely different and yet address the same points. We are taken through a journey exploring the clashes between Sephy and Callum in their contrasting worlds. This technique allows Blackman to present forth a non-biased account without leaning towards any side in this complex net of racism, ethnicity and relationships issues. Sephy yearns for her relationship with Callum to be accepted by saying, “There was just one thing that stopped my day from being entirely perfect. If only Callum and I didn’t have to sneak and creep around. If only Callum wasn’t