Welcome to Your Study Guide: Significant Cigarettes

Hello! Getting started with prose extracts can sometimes feel overwhelming, but don't worry. This chapter, "Significant Cigarettes," taken from Rose Tremain's novel The Road Home, is a fantastic text for studying how writers use language to show hope and struggle.

This study guide will break down the text into easy steps. We will explore the characters, the main themes, and the important language techniques that Rose Tremain uses. By the end, you’ll be ready to tackle any exam question on this chapter!

1. Context and Background

Understanding where a text comes from helps you understand why the writer wrote it and what they are trying to say.

The Author: Rose Tremain

Rose Tremain is a celebrated contemporary English novelist. Her works often focus on characters who are displaced, lonely, or searching for a sense of belonging in a modern world.

The Novel: The Road Home (2007)

The novel follows the journey of Lev, a man in his fifties who leaves his war-torn home country (implied to be in Eastern Europe) to seek work in London after his wife dies. The central theme of the novel is migration—the challenges, loneliness, and sheer exhaustion of trying to start a new life in a foreign country.

Did you know? Tremain based her research on real experiences of migrants coming to the UK, making the story feel very authentic and immediate.

Quick Takeaway: The text is rooted in the harsh realities of being a new migrant trying to survive in a wealthy, but often unforgiving, city like London.

2. Plot Summary: What Happens?

This extract focuses on a specific, small event that has huge emotional significance for the main character, Lev.

The scene takes place in the cramped, miserable flat Lev shares with his much older and more cynical flatmate, Valentin.

  • The Setting: Lev and Valentin live in poverty. Lev works as a dishwasher and is struggling to make ends meet. The atmosphere in the flat is often tense and gloomy.
  • The Discovery: While cleaning, Lev finds a carton of Silk Cut cigarettes that have been abandoned or forgotten. They are unopened and valuable.
  • Lev's Reaction: For Lev, this is a massive win. It’s not just about the monetary value; it represents a stroke of luck—a small, unexpected gift from fate. He feels a surge of hope and excitement.
  • Valentin's Reaction: Valentin immediately pours cold water on Lev’s excitement. He suggests the cigarettes are probably worthless, or even dangerous (e.g., they might be poisoned or belong to someone scary). Valentin is characterized by his cynicism (a lack of belief in goodness).
  • The Significance: The argument over the cigarettes shows the fundamental difference between the two men. Lev clings to optimism, while Valentin is defined by despair. Lev chooses to believe in the goodness of the find, refusing to let Valentin ruin his moment of luck.

Memory Aid: Think of the scene as a battle between two emotions: Lev = Luck/Light and Valentin = Victim/View of negativity.

3. Character Analysis: Lev and Valentin

The contrast between these two men is the engine of the extract’s drama.

Lev (The Protagonist)
  • Hopeful and Resilient: Despite his struggles, Lev desperately wants to succeed. He looks for signs that his life will improve.
  • Searching for Dignity: He sees the cigarettes not just as money, but as a way to have a small luxury, something that restores his sense of self-worth after being reduced to a dishwasher.
  • Emotional Depth: Lev is highly sensitive. The cigarettes bring him joy, which is quickly threatened by Valentin's sourness. His frustration shows his refusal to let the harsh realities of his life destroy his inner spirit.
Valentin (The Foil/Cynic)
  • Cynical and Bitter: Valentin has been in the UK longer, and his experience has made him negative and suspicious. He has lost the ability to feel hope.
  • Pessimistic: He anticipates the worst possible outcome ("they're poisoned," "they belong to a gangster"). His pessimism acts as a heavy weight on the atmosphere of the flat.
  • Thematic Role: Valentin serves as a foil (a contrasting character) to Lev. He represents the danger of allowing poverty and displacement to completely crush one’s spirit.

Key Takeaway: Tremain uses the conflict between Lev and Valentin (over the cigarettes) to explore the universal conflict between hope and despair.

4. Themes and Ideas

Themes are the big ideas the writer explores. Focus on these three major themes:

A. Hope vs. Despair

This is the core theme. Lev is determined to keep his hope alive, even if it is attached to something small, like a carton of cigarettes. Tremain suggests that hope is essential for survival when facing extreme hardship.

  • Example: Lev sees the cigarettes as "a small beacon, a light shining." (Hope)
  • Contrast: Valentin sees only danger and worthlessness, trying to extinguish that light. (Despair)
B. Poverty and The Search for Dignity

Lev’s poverty is starkly contrasted with the wealth of London. The cigarettes are valuable because they offer him a brief escape from financial anxiety. For a man who washes dishes and lives in a miserable flat, finding something valuable gives him a moment of dignity and control.

Analogy: Imagine you have to save every single penny for rent. Finding the cigarettes is like suddenly having a little extra cash that allows you to feel like a normal person, not just a struggling survivor.

C. The Immigrant Experience and Displacement

The isolation of the two men, their shared miserable living conditions, and their distance from home emphasize the harsh reality of migration. They are displaced—not fully belonging in London, but unable to return home.

Quick Review: The cigarettes are the central symbol for all these themes—they are a physical object representing Lev’s inner fight for hope against the despair personified by Valentin.

5. Structure and Form

Structure refers to how the text is organised; Form refers to the type of writing (prose extract).

Narrative Voice and Perspective
  • The extract is written in the third-person limited narrative. This means the narrator is outside the story, but focuses mainly on Lev’s thoughts and feelings.
  • Effect: By limiting the perspective to Lev, Tremain makes the reader deeply sympathetic towards him. We experience the joy of the discovery and the immediate disappointment caused by Valentin through Lev’s eyes.
The Structure of Conflict (Beginning, Middle, End)

The structure is very simple and effective:

  1. Rising Action: Lev's mundane cleaning task leads to the dramatic discovery of the cigarettes. (A moment of pure joy).
  2. Climax (The Argument): The dialogue between Lev and Valentin creates immediate, sharp conflict. Valentin’s cold, repeated questioning ("Where?" "Whose?") heightens the tension.
  3. Resolution (Internal): Lev internally resolves to keep the hope. He refuses to let Valentin take this moment from him, ending the extract with a sense of defiance and quiet optimism.

Tip: Look out for the use of dialogue. The dialogue is short, sharp, and reflects the strained, unsentimental relationship between the two men.

6. Language Analysis: How Tremain Achieves Her Effect

To score highly, you must analyze specific language techniques (called Literary Devices).

A. Symbolism (The Most Important Device)

The Silk Cut cigarettes are the primary symbol.

  • They symbolize value and luxury that is out of reach for Lev.
  • They symbolize a test of character: will Lev embrace optimism or succumb to fear (Valentin’s view)?
  • They represent the arbitrary nature of luck—the idea that even in the toughest life, a small, unexpected event can change things momentarily.
B. Imagery (Descriptions)

Tremain uses stark, often depressing imagery to establish the setting and Lev’s emotional state.

  • Descriptive Imagery of Setting: The flat is described using words related to dirt, gloom, and discomfort, emphasizing their poverty. This makes the "clean," unopened carton of cigarettes stand out dramatically.
  • Imagery of Light and Dark: Lev sees the discovery as a "light shining" or a "beacon." This metaphorical imagery contrasts sharply with the dark reality of his life, showing his internal desire for brightness and safety.
C. Contrast and Juxtaposition

Tremain consistently uses contrast:

  • Joy vs. Fear: Lev’s initial burst of joy is immediately countered by Valentin’s fear and suspicion.
  • Lev’s Idealism vs. Valentin’s Cynicism: Their different worldviews are juxtaposed (placed side-by-side) through their arguing dialogue.
D. Simple and Direct Language

The language used is generally direct and realistic, reflecting the seriousness and starkness of the men’s lives. There is little flowery description, keeping the focus on their emotional intensity and the reality of their struggle.

Common Mistake to Avoid: Don't just list techniques! Explain why Tremain uses them. For example: "Tremain uses the symbolism of the cigarettes to represent hope, showing that Lev is still able to find positivity despite his displacement."

7. Exam Skills Focus: Applying Your Knowledge

When answering questions about this text, you will usually be asked about either Language, Structure, or the Characters/Themes.

Step 1: Understand the Question

If the question asks, "How does Rose Tremain create a sense of conflict in this extract?" you know you need to focus on structure and language (especially dialogue).

Step 2: Use PQC (Point, Quote, Comment)

This is the best way to structure your analysis.

  • P (Point): Make a clear statement about the text. (e.g., Tremain immediately establishes Lev's hopeful nature by contrasting it with the misery of his environment.)
  • Q (Quote): Use a short, relevant quote to support your point. (e.g., Lev viewed the cigarettes as "a small beacon, a light shining.")
  • C (Comment/Analysis): Explain how the quote works and what technique is used. Discuss the effect on the reader. (e.g., The use of the metaphor "beacon" and "light" immediately shows the reader that this simple object represents overwhelming hope for Lev, setting up the thematic conflict with Valentin’s darkness.)

Encouragement: Even if you only remember the symbolism of the cigarettes and the contrast between the two characters, you have enough material for a great answer! Focus on explaining why that symbolism is significant to a struggling migrant.

Quick Review Checklist

  • Context: Migration and poverty in London.
  • Main Characters: Lev (Hopeful protagonist) and Valentin (Cynical foil).
  • Central Symbol: The Silk Cut Cigarettes (representing luck, dignity, and a brief victory).
  • Key Theme: The battle between Hope and Despair.
  • Key Techniques: Symbolism, Metaphor, Dialogue, and Juxtaposition (of characters).

Keep these points in mind, and you will ace your analysis of "Significant Cigarettes!"