SPM 5- English

Novel- Step By Wicked Step- 2014

Important Lesson

The novel Step by Wicked Step by Anne Fine had given me some food for thought.
There are many lessons learnt from this novel but the most important one would be being
patient.
Practising patience in difficult times is very important. As in Richards story, he does
not seem to show enough patience in his life. After his fathers death, Coldstone entered
the family picture. Richard was always a rebel in his house and never compromised with
Coldstone. However, Charlotte showed her patience by getting close to Coldstone. She
accepted and adapted to changes unlike Richard. Meanwhile Richard lost his patience and
decided to leave the house. His lack of patience caused his mothers death and his sister
ended up marrying a cold-hearted person.
Besides, important to be patient is clearly shown in Claudias story too. Stella exercises
much patience in trying to win Claudia over. Initially, all her attempts are fruitless.
However, she doubles her effort to make Claudia like her. She succeeds in the end for
Claudia stands up for her when sees the unfair treatment by her fathers friends towards
Stella during the party. They simply ignore her, even though she cooked the meal for the
night and decorated the place beautifully. Noticing the snub by the guests, Claudia comes
downstairs and thanks Stella for the green pyjamas that she bought for her. Finally,Stella
won Claudias heart by being patient.
Furthermore, in Pixies story, she does not show much patience towards her stepsiblings.
When Hetty moves into Pixies room, Pixie hates the new conditions. She does not have her
own privacy. This causes Pixie to try to get rid of Hetty by telling ghost stories and asking
her mathematics questions. Then, Hetty poured out her feelings to Pixie. Both burst into
emotions by telling each other how they feel about the new family. Later on, Pixie shows
patience by allowing Hetty to stay and slowly adapting to a new family, By being patient,
one can remove some of the underlying tension.
In conclusion, patience creates a better understanding among family members. This is
the valuable lesson I learnt by reading this novel.