Critique writing - The Visitor

This essay will provide a critical view of Patricia Cresswell’s “The Visitor”. It will look at the use of language, point of view, use of imagery, characterisation and setting to name but a few. I will provide my opinions on the piece of writing and explain my reasoning behind this.
Cresswell’s use of language in The Visitor strongly suggests to me that McGill is isolated and lonely. The use of the word “frosted” when describing the outside of McGill’s home could be seen as a metaphor for his personality. The writer also states that the “frosted grass” could be “anticipating the approach of an intruder”. The word intruder is a strong choice of word, as opposed to guest or visitor, suggesting that the idea of a visitor is baffling. Another example is shown on line four where the text states McGill’s home is “the only sign of civilization for miles around” and “it occurred to him someone might be outside”. This immediately confirms to the reader that McGill has been alone for quite some time and would not usually expect any visitors. I also feel that the writer’s use of the words “ice cold lips” and “cold as marble” when describing the young girl connects her to McGill as this suggests that she may be lonely too.
Cresswell is careful when characterising McGill, I believe he is shown to be a simple man with the best intentions but lacking in social skills due to his environment. This is backed up within the text “she was small and frail… he was afraid she would melt before the fire”. This use of language shows McGill to be a gentle character who worries about the needs of others. He is shown to feel “ashamed” of his “meagre” fire, suggesting that he is embarrassed of his humble lifestyle and wishes to offer more. The young girl is characterised as McGill’s saviour. From the outset, before the girl has been introduced, Cresswell introduces a “narrow shaft of sunlight” at the door. This is a contrast to the “frosted grass” and suggests to the reader that a change is about to occur. The use of the sentence “when she left, he only lived to see her come again” suggests a strong bond has formed and she has saved him from a life of loneliness.
It could be argued that as the story is written from McGill’s point of view, it is likely to be biased. The writer has previously suggested that McGill has a lack of social skills within the introduction to the story. Cresswell describes McGill as “frustrated and bewildered” which confirms to the reader McGill has a lack of understanding of the situation and suggests that this has potentially been misjudged.
The writer indicates that the village has a preconception of McGill, which implies that the reader’s knowledge of McGill’s past is limited. The writer depicts this by showing “he was laughed at” and “the air was chocked with mocking voices”. The writer also shows the level of panic in the woman’s voice “[she] screamed something incomprehensible”. The use of the word incomprehensible suggests that the woman feels the need to intervene before she can properly articulate her thoughts.
To conclude, I believe that McGill is shown to be a lonely and misunderstood character who has to best interests, but unfortunately lacks in social skills. However, it could be said that McGill had malicious intentions and should have known better than to befriend a young girl.