The Boy who Loved Ice Cream

Summary Characters
 Benjy is a young boy from rural Jamaica. His  Benjy
family is extremely poor, and the harvest Second youngest child
festival is the most important and festive An intense child trying to achieve or obtain
day for them. It's an even bigger deal for his desires.
Benjy because this is the only place, he can
get the prized ice cream. Benjy has never  Elsa
had ice cream, but he enjoys the thought of Benjy’s older sister
it after hearing a second-hand description Takes care of Benjy when his mom is busy
from his sister. The story begins with the Introduces Benjy to the idea of ice cream.
family preparing for the festival and their
scenic descent down the hill. Benjy's ice  Mother
cream obsession manifests itself at the Progressive and forward thinking
festival when he is unable to enjoy himself Sociable and friendly person
due to his anxiety about when the ice cream Eager to go or do something different
will be available.
 Papa
 This reflects his father's obsession with Was a farmer
tracking down the man he believes is his He was wedded to the soil
wife's lover and Benjy's father. When Benjy Did not like to go out
finally gets his ice cream, it falls out of his Jealousy personality portrayed when it
hand because his father notices a male comes to his wife
talking to his wife and drags Benjy along to
confront him. As a result, Benjy is  Beatrice
disappointed at the end of the story. Baby of the family

Themes
Obsession
Papa has an obsessive nature; it is shown in the way he is obsessed with finding his wife’s lover after
the suspicion of her cheating on him during the three weeks she took to take care of her dying mother in
Springville and even suspecting Benjy is not his and treats him different. He watches her throughout the
festival.

Benjy has the same obsessive ways like his father, except he is obsessed with ice cream. The similarity in
their obsessive nature shows they are father-son. To him, ice cream is the strangest yet marvellous thing
he severs heard of and wants to experience the enjoyment of it.

Poverty
Benjy’s Sunday church pants is made of his father’s old jacket. Elsa is also bathed with a strainer
covered in soap as the family couldn’t afford proper wash rags, making a loofah with strainer and soap.
Benjy “washed off’ with rainwater collected in a drum. His shirt is made of different colour and pattern
from his mom’s dress with different coloured thread, and buttons at different sizes. These factors imply
that the family doesn’t have enough to buy new clothing and uses old clothes and redesign and reuse
them to make new clothing.

Symbol
Ice cream- symbol of anything that is desired and/or anticipated to bring great pleasure.