The Final Screening

Text 1: The Palace, by Elinor Vale

An original novel extract.

With the house lights raised, the Palace looked tired. The gold paint around the balconies had cracked into little islands, and the red seats were rubbed pale where thousands of hands had gripped them. Mara stood at the back of the auditorium with the keys pressing into her palm. For thirty-eight years, she had watched the lights fade. Tonight, she would have to leave them burning.

The final audience gathered their coats slowly. Some paused to photograph the painted ceiling; others touched the ends of the seats as they passed. Mara recognised faces from different parts of her life. Schoolchildren with paper bags of sweets. Teenagers pretending not to hold hands. New parents returning years later with children of their own. One by one, they disappeared through the doors until the rows faced the screen alone.

Upstairs, the projector continued its soft, busy clicking. Mara laid her hand on its warm metal case. The machine had carried cowboys across deserts, sent astronauts among the stars and brought lovers together in railway stations. Now its beam narrowed across the empty auditorium: a doorway, a ribbon, a silver thread. Then Mara pressed the switch, and the thread snapped.

Silence filled the building. In the foyer, she turned the key beneath the sign that read THANK YOU FOR VISITING. The old bell above the entrance gave its usual bright ping as she stepped outside. Behind her, the Palace went dark without applause.

How does Elinor Vale use language and structure to convey Mara’s feelings about the cinema closing?

You should use relevant subject terminology to support your answer.