Mungo's Facial Tic

Mungo’s facial tic serves as a clear signal of the anxiety, stress, and pressure that Mungo faces in his home life. In difficult or emotional moments, Mungo often experiences a facial twitch. Many of the other characters in Young Mungo comment on the tic, often in a disparaging manner. This facial agitation gestures towards Mungo’s inner turbulence. The negligence and violence that Mungo endures at home appears to manifest in an overt physical manner, thus suggesting that these factors engender deep, enduring consequences.

Tattie-bogle

Mungo and Jodie’s nickname for their mother—Tattie-bogle—symbolizes the deleterious effects of alcoholism. When Mo-Maw becomes extremely drunk, her children refer to her as Tattie-bogle. Mungo describes this alternate identity as a “heartless, shambling scarecrow… when Tattie-bogle spoke, her lower jaw would hang loose and her tongue roll in her mouth in a dirty, lascivious way...