Going Places

The Theme: The theme of the story is adolescent hero worship and fantasizing. Sophie comes

from a working class home. Her life is an ordinary life and her prospects for future are nothing great.

She will probably take up an ordinary job as a worker in the biscuit factory after leaving school. Yet

Sophie cannot accept this reality. She dreams of leading a life of high excitement and adventure.

She wishes to open a boutique and fantasizes about becoming a great fashion designer like Mary

Quant. When her friend Jansie points out at the unrealistic nature of her dream she says she will

become a manager first. When Jansie reminds her that managers do not get paid well Sophie

insists she will become an actress. She dreams of riding pillion on her brother’s motorcycle, into the

city, wearing a yellow dress, while her brother is dressed in shining black leathers. She imagines a

sound of applause as the world rises to greet her. She also dreams of meeting Danny Casey, who

then asks her out on a date.

Sophie and her brother: Sophie seeks attention from her brother. For Sophie her brother is special

because he has access to the big wide world. The far-off places at the outskirts of the city are very

fascinating to this young girl who has no access to them. She is jealous of her brother’s silence

because she feels he is thinking about these places. She imagines that he knows many interesting

and exotic people about whom he never talks. It is in order to attract his attention that she begins

narrating the imaginary episode of her having met Danny Casey in the arcade. Later on she builds

up on this episode saying that Danny had asked her out on a date. In this way she is able to catch the

attention and also win the admiration of her brother because Danny is the Irish soccer star.

Sophie’s Disappointments: Sophie faces dejection in the end when she goes to the wharf waiting

for her imaginary date Danny to appear. Naturally that does not happen and Sophie can visualize her

brother’s anger when she goes home and tells him that Danny did not turn up.

Sophie’s Father: Sophie’s father is a working class man who lives in a small house. He wants his

daughter to help the family buy a decent home if she earns money. He is critical of her ‘wild stories’

and does not encourage her at all. He scolds her and she tries to hide her fantastic tales from him.

Jansie: Unlike Sophie Jansie lives in a world of reality. She tries to make Sophie face the reality

during her wild imaginings about her ‘glorious’ future.