@inthelittlewood I wrote an essay about your limited life quotes... thank you for this...
How is Martyn presented throughout Limited Life?
Throughout Limited Life, Martyn is presented as desperate and manic, believing that the Life games are a futile waste. Especially throughout this season, where the gimmick of having a certain amount of time left to live feels encroaching.
Firstly, at the very beginning of the series, Martyn says, “That clock in the corner constantly… thud, thud, thud, you’re wasting time.” The alliteration of the hard letter ‘c’ not only feels jagged and sharp- implying a distaste for the games from the second the series began- but pairs with the following onomatopoeia, “thud, thud, thud” to create a sense of repetition, which is commonly associated with spiralling and emphasises his previous point about disliking the gimmick. Additionally, a ‘thud’ is typically a sudden, blunt impact, or a loud dull noise, and therefore holds connotations of banging or hitting, especially when repeated here as a ‘thud’ is commonly used to describe the sound of someone banging on a door or wall. This could represent how he feels left in the dark, as if banging on a door waiting to be ‘let in’. Additionally, the verb ‘wasting’ has connotations of losing something you can’t get back, highlighting his fear.
Secondly, throughout the game, he falls into various pouts of manic laughter. This gets gradually worse as the series progresses, until his final laugh at the end of the series. It could be argued that these outbursts foreshadow his finale win, showing that he truly isn’t that much ‘better’ even before the betrayal, always as manic. On the topic of betrayal, during the yellow hunt, Martyn kills his teammate Scott, as a planned ‘betrayal’, which definitely foreshadows his final betrayal. This foreshadowing builds a sense of fear and dread among the audience, and is an early example of Martyn’s volatile nature and desperation.
Martyn also repeats “Clear your throat before I clear that clock! Clear your throat before I clear that clock!” to another player. The repetition again emphasises his desperation for more time, to outlive the inevitability. This is further backed by his verbal emphasis on the second line, showing how his desperation borders on deranged. There’s also another case of alliteration of the ‘c’ sound, which mirrors the starting phrase and reminds the audience of his distaste, even as he actively engages in their games. The contrast between his words and actions implies a disconnect even within himself, invoking confusion and concern from the audience. The threat “clear that clock” also feels manic and insane, as he literally threatens to kill another player over them not answering him fast enough.
Additionally, there’s a lot to take from his final monologue. For starters, he says “Nah, I don’t wanna play this silly game!” The declarative uses simple and informal terminology (i.e.: “Nah” and “wanna”) which creates an almost childish feel, as if he can’t word complex thoughts. This moment comes right after he ‘snaps’, further implying a mental state broken beyond mature behaviour. Similarly, the use of the adverb ‘silly’ in the phrase “silly game” further shows his childlike behaviour and proves he’s deluded, believing it’s just a ‘silly game’. However, it could also show his belief the games are futile, as he sees them as ‘silly’ or useless. The verb ‘play’ is also childish, solidifying his delusion.
The line after this goes “I wanna do it this way, I wanna do it exactly this way!” which contains a lot of the previous techniques, for example the childish tone and use of informal language such as “wanna”. Additionally, the repetition of the phrase “I wanna do it this way” comes off desperate and determined, even through the futility. The addition of ‘exactly’ in the second repetition emphasises his firmness on his method, which causes the audience to feel conflicted since as he says it he’s betraying his own teammate.
Finally, his ending line is said as “It doesn’t matter if you’re a mean gill or a bad boy or a neighbour or a clocker! None of these niceties, this is a death match for a reason!” This line opens with a negative auxiliary verb “doesn’t”, which creates a feeling of futility when paired with “matter”. “Doesn’t matter” is a definitive phrase, and therefore leaves the audience feeling like there’s no way around it. The quote also uses polysyndetic listing of “or a” which acts as proof of the pinnacle of his manic, deranged spiral into insanity and a sudden desperation to win. The second half of the phrase is an extended sentence made up of shorter declaratives which continues showing his spiralling behaviour. Finally, the phrase “death match” to describe the life games shows even through his manic descent, he believes the games are futile. Even as he entertains their ideals, he believes it’s futile.
In conclusion, Martyn uses lots of repetition and futile language to show his belief in the life games being a useless endeavour even as he entertains their ideas with his manic denials.
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