going places Flashcards
Where was it most likely that the two girls would find work after school?
Sophie and Jansie belonged to lower middle class families. Though Sophie dreamt of big and beautiful things, Jansie was more practical and realistic. It was most likely that the two girls would find work in a biscuit factory.
What were the options that Sophie was dreaming of? Why does Jansie discourage her from having such dreams?
Sophie had dreamt of having a boutique in the city. She dreamt of becoming a manager, a fashion designer or an actress.
Jansie discouraged her from having such dreams as Sophie’s dreams were wild and impossible. She had neither the means nor the skills to achieve them.
Why did Sophie wriggle when Geoff told her father that she had met Danny Casey?
Sophie had told Geoff not to tell about the meeting with Danny Casey to her father. She believed that her father would not believe it. He would rather scold her for telling such
wild stories.
Does Geoff believe what Sophie says about her meeting with Danny Casey?
Geoff finds it hard to believe when Sophie tells him about the meeting with Danny Casey. But he does not appear to disbelieve her either. If he did not believe her, he would not have told about it to his father and Jansie’s brother, Frank.
Does her father believe her story?
Her father does not believe her story at all. He knows her habit of indulging in fantasy.
He thinks it to be another of her wild stories.
How does Sophie include her brother Geoff in her fantasy of her future?
She does not know where her brother Geoff goes. But unknown world and people fascinate her. She wishes to be closer to Geoff. She hopes that someday he would take her there. She imagines herself in a yellow dress riding behind Geoff, and the world rising to greet them with an applause.
Which country did Danny Casey play for?
Danny Casey played for Ireland.
Why didn’t Sophie want Jansie to know about her story with Danny?
Sophie thought that Jansie would not be able to keep a secret. She would tell the whole neighbourhood. People would come to Sophie and ask her what it was all about. Her father would be angry with her and there would be a row in their family. She was also worried about her mother’s reaction to it all.
Did Sophie really meet Danny Casey?
Sophie had not met Casey. It was only her fantasy. She imagined having met him as that was what she desired. She never meets him in reality.
Which was the only occasion when she got to see Danny Casey in person?
The only occasion when she could have seen Danny Casey in person was on Saturday
when the whole family went to watch the United Team play. She saw him in person in the stadium.
Sophie and Jansie were classmates and friends. What were the differences between them that show up in the story?
Both Sophie and Jansie were classmates and friends belonging to middle class families.
However, Sophie was much more ambitious than Jansie. Sophie tells Jansie that she wants to own a boutique. Jansie, who is more practical, advises Sophie that a lot of money is needed for a boutique. Sophie says that she would earn the money. Then Jansie tells her that it takes a long time to save that much money. So Sophie replies that initially, she would be a manager till she gets enough money. Jansie tries to explain to Sophie that they would not make Sophie a manager right away. Sophie still believes that she would have the most wonderful shop in the city. So Sophie, besides being a dreamer, had a wavering mind as well.
Jansie felt sad thinking that both of them were likely to work in the biscuit factory after school. Jansie also tries to make Sophie understand that she should be sensible as they do not pay well for the shop work. Sophie however, thought that she would become an actress and have a boutique. Besides that, she said that she might even be a fashion designer. So we see Sophie as an overambitious, impractical daydreamer. On the other hand, Jansie is more practical and has a firm mind
How would you describe the character and the temperament of Sophie’s father?
Sophie’s father was an authoritarian, short-tempered person and a sports lover. He seemed to be a fun-loving person, as whenever the United team won, he went to the pub to celebrate. He had a plump face. When Geoff told his father that Sophie had met Danny Casey, he looked at her with an expression of contempt. Later, he started discussing about the young, talented Irish, Danny Casey. When Sophie told him that Danny Casey was going to buy a shop, he made an ugly face to show disgust. He told Sophie that it was another of her wild stories. He did not believe at all that Sophie might have actually met Danny. Sophie seems to be scared of her father. Sophie told Jansie that there would be a “right old row” if her father gets to hear about it. She even mentions her mother, quoting, “you know how my mum gets where there is a row.”
Why did Sophie like her brother Geoff more than any other person? From her perspective, what did he symbolise?
Sophie was quite fond of her elder brother, Geoff, who was an apprentice mechanic. He had to travel each day to the far side of the city for his work. He was almost grown up though he had left school only three years ago. Geoff did not speak much. Sophie felt that when he was not speaking, he was away somewhere out there in the world in the places she had never been to. These places had a special fascination for Sophie as they were unknown to her and remained out of her reach. She believed that there were even exotic and interesting people, of whom Geoff never spoke. She longed to know about them. She wished that her brother some day might take her there. So from Sophie’s point of view, her brother symbolised a person, who could acquaint her with “the vast world out there”, which was totally unknown to her. Her love for her brother is evident from the fact that she told only Geoff about her meeting with Danny Casey.
What socio-economic background did Sophie belong to? What are the indicators of her family’s financial status?
From the story ‘Going Places’, we realise that Sophie belonged to a poor socio-economic background. But she aspired to have a boutique, though she had no means or money to fulfil her dreams. After school, she was likely to work in a biscuit factory.
When she said that if ever she has money she will buy a boutique, her father says that if she ever has money she would better buy them a decent house to live in. This showed that their house was in a shabby condition. The small room of their house was steamy from the stove and dirty dishes were piled up in the corner. Her brother Geoff was an apprentice mechanic who travelled to his work each day to far side of the city. Her father had a bicycle as Sophie saw it propped against the wall of the pub. So Sophie belonged to a poor family. Their social life seemed to be confined to watching the matches played by the United team.
