GOING PLACES

THEME

The short story “Going Places” explores the hopes and desires of young
people as well as the anguish of broken dreams and unfulfilled promises.
Along with the teenage fantasizing and hero-worship, it deals with the
intricacies of human relationships.

This story’s central theme is hero worship and teenage fantasies.

Teenagers often have irrational expectations, especially if their families are
struggling. This is due to the fact that a young person’s socioeconomic
background has a significant impact on the job they choose to pursue.

If the fantasy is too far fetched for a person, it might result in misery. We
see the main character as building castles in the air which is a pointless
activity.

It revolves around fantasies and daydreams. The story tells us about

the teenage period where people are often found dreaming which is
far from reality.
This period is all about desires and achieving the impossible. In
addition, teens usually have a hero they look up to or adore in this
age.

VALUE POINTS

 Contrast between dreams and reality

The chapter explores the contrast between Sophie's dreams of
success and glamour and the reality of her lower-middle-class
upbringing.
 Character analysis
Students can analyze the characters of Sophie, Jansie, and
Geoff to understand their motivations, conflicts, and how they
impact the story.
 Narrative techniques
The chapter uses various narrative techniques such as dialogue,
characterization, and symbolism to convey its themes.
 Theme of hero worship
The story is about a girl who fantasizes about a famous
footballer and makes up a story about meeting him.
 Teenage fantasies
The chapter is based on the context of teenagers, their dreams,
habits, and acts, and how they often fantasize about things that
are unbelievable and fictional.
 Teenage period
The story is about the teenage period when people are often
found dreaming about things that are far from reality

Summary
 Sophie and Jansie are two teenagers who are coming back
from school. They both work in a biscuit factory. Sophie is
lost in her imagination of owning a boutique shop and
becoming famous like Mary Quaint, a fashion designer.

 Jansie tells her not to dream big as it requires lots of money

which they don’t have. To this she replies that she will
become an actress, earn a lot and then own a boutique.
 Jansie being a realistic person does not support her
thoughts.
 On reaching home Sophie feels choked in that small house
which is full of the stove’s steam and looks untidy because
of the dirty dishes.

 Her father is eating and her mother is busy in the kitchen.

She goes to meet her elder brother Geoff, who is a trainee
mechanic and is busy repairing some motorcycle part.

 Geoff talks very less about his personal life which made her
imagine of his personal life which she considers very
interesting and wants to be part of it.

 She shares a secret with him that she met Danny Casey the
famous footballer in a boutique. Her brother and her father
do not believe her.

 But she tries to make them believe this. She also tells her
brother about her date with Casey.

 Her brother does not believe her but gives her a chance to
believe her story. On Saturday Sophie and her family go to
watch a football match as all of them are great fans of
football.

 Their favorite team wins due to a goal made by Casey. All

of them feel so overjoyed.
  When Sophie returns home with her little brother Derek,
Jansie questions her about the reality behind her meeting
with Danny Casey.

 Sophie gets angry with her brother because of letting her

secret out but tries to handle the situation and succeeds.

 She then visits a secret place near a canal to meet her hero
Casey who doesn’t show up. She knows that it was just her
imagination but she was so lost in his love that she doesn’t
want to come out of this.

 the end she returns back to her home with sadness in her
heart. But when she comes across the Royce’s boutique,
she again finds herself lost in her hero’s dreams.

Q1- Sophie and Jansie were class-mates and friends. What were the
differences between them that show up in the story?

Ans: Sophie and Jansie were totally opposite of each other though they
were friends. Sophie was always lost in her dreams. She wanted to lead a
life full of luxury and sophistication. She dreamt of owning a boutique, be
like Mary Quaint or an actress and wanted to become rich and famous.

On the other hand, Jansie was a girl who had a realistic approach towards
life. She knew that they came from a poor family and were working in a
small factory.

Therefore, she did not involve herself in daydreams like Sophie. Rather she
tried to teach her that such dreams required a lot of money and a meager
salary from the factory was not enough to fulfill such dreams.

Q2- How would you describe the character and temperament of

Sophie’s father?
Ans: Sophie’s father is a plump and aggressive person. Sophie fears his
anger. He doesn’t believe in the wild stories of his daughter but as a caring
father, he reminds her not to make such stories as this could lead her to
trouble. He is a football fan because he visits the football ground with his
kids, every Saturday, to watch his favorite team ‘United’ play the match. He
also wishes Danny Casey to become like Finney and enjoys the winning of
his team by visiting the pub.

Q3- Why did Sophie like her brother Geoff more than any other
person? From her perspective, what did he symbolise?
Ans: Geoff was an introvert type of person and so he spoke less about
himself. This made Sophie like him as she thought that he visited some
secret places that were full of interesting people. So, she tried to win his
affection in order to get a chance to ride with him to that special place
where she would visit by wearing a beautiful yellow dress.

She also imagined of being welcomed by the crowd there. Sophie wanted
to live that beautiful life which was full of colours and happiness that Geoff
lived but she could not.

Q4- What socio-economic background did Sophie belong to? What

are the indicators of her family’s financial status?

Ans: Sophie belonged to a lower middle class family. She lived in a small
house with her family. When she returned home from school, she felt
uncomfortable because of the steam and the untidy look of her house. Her
mother was stooping because of the burden of the work she did.

Her father was a labourer and her elder brother was a mechanic. She also
worked in a biscuit factory in order to support her family. Such things
indicated that Sophie belonged to a lower middle class family.

Q5 It is natural for teenagers to have unrealistic dreams? What would

you say are the benefits and disadvantages of such fantasizing?

Ans. Teenage is considered the best period in a person’s life. In this age
the person has maximum energy and he is free from every responsibility.
But it is also the age when the person has dreams and fantasies.
 Every teenager has some role model. Also it would be beneficial for the
person if he goes into the direction of his/her dreams diligently. But mere
fantasising and dreaming bring nothing but disappointment.

Q6 Damn that Geoff, this was a Geoff thing not a Jansie thing: Why
did Sophie say so?
Ans Sophie told her brother, Geoff about her meeting with Danny Casey
She was sure that he would not tell anybody her secret. But on the other
hand, Geoff told that secret to Jansie’s brother and Jansie asked Sophie
about it Sophie became very angry with her brother and said, Damn that
Geoff, this was a Geoff thing not a Jansie thing.

EXTRACT BASED QUESTIONS

A. Read the given extract and answer the questions that
follow:
Sophie watched her back stooped over the sink and wondered at
the incongruity of the delicate bow which fastened her apron
strings. The delicate seeming bow and the crooked back. The
evening has already blacked in the windows and the small room
was steady from the stone and cluttered with the heavy breathing
man in his vest at the table and the dirty washing piled up in the
corner. Sophie felt a tightening in her throat. She went to look for
her brother Geoff.
1. Whose bow did Sophie watch and what did she feel?
Ans. Sophie watched the back bow of her own mother stooped
over the sink and wondered at the incongruity of the delicate bow.
2. What was the condition of the small room?
Ans The small room was steamy from the stove and cluttered
with the heavy breathing man in his vest at the table and the dirty
washing piled up in the corner.
3. What did Sophie feel and what did she do then?
Ans. Sophie felt a tightening in her throat and she went to look for
her brother Geoff.
4. Name the chapter and its writer.
Ans. The chapter’s name is ‘Going Places’ and its writer is A. R.
Barton’.

B. Read the given extract and answer the questions that

follow:
It was nothing like that. Geoff It was me who spoke first. When I
saw who it was I said, “Excuse me, but aren’t you Danny Casey?
And he looked sort of surprised And he said. “Yes, that’s right.
And I knew it must be him because he had the accent you know
like when they interviewed him on the television So I asked him
for an autograph for little Derek, but neither of us had any paper
or a pan. So then we just talked a bit About the clothes in Royce’s
window. He seemed lonely. After all, it’s a long way from the west
of Ireland And then just as he was going, he said, if I would care
to meet him next week he would give me an autograph then of
course, I said I would”
1. Who looked sort of surprised and why?
Ans. Danny Casey looked sort of surprised because Sophie
asked him about his name (identity).
2. How did Sophie confirm that he was Danny Casey?
Ans. By hearing his accent and remembering his interview cin
television, she confirmed that he was Danny Casey.
3. What did Sophie ask him and what happened then?
Ans. Sophie asked him for an autograph for little Derek but
neither of them had any paper or a pen.
4. While going, what did Danny Casey ask her?
Ans. While going, Danny Casey asked her if she would care to
meet him next week he would give her an autograph then.
 Long Answer Questions
Q1 Sophie lives in a world full of dreams which she does not
know she cannot realise. Comment.
OR
Contrast Sophie’s real world with her fantasies.
Ans. Sophie belongs to a low middle class family. She has no
means to gain name and fame. Therefore, she starts weaving in
her mind the unrealistic dreams and fantasies. First of all she
thinks that she would open a fine boutique in the city When her
friend Jansie tells her that it would take a lot of money to open a
boutique, she says that she would become a manager to begin
with. She does not realise that no one would make her a manager
straight off.

Then she thinks of becoming an actress. She takes a chance

meeting with Danny Casey as the beginning of a love affair with
him. She dreams of meeting with him. But this and her other
dreams are just a product of her imagination. She doesn’t know
how to realise them.

Q2 Describe the bond between Geoff and Sophie in spite of

differences in their temperament and thinking.
Ans. Geoff was Sophie’s elder brother. He was an apprentice
mechanic and left his school three years ago. Unlike Sophie he
was very introverted. Sophie was in fact jealous of his silence. But
in spite of all this he loved his sister very much. Sophie would
share all her secrets with her Geoff knew that most of the stories

Sophie told him were just a product of her imagination.

But even then he listened to her very patiently. He knew that
Sophie’s story of meeting with Danny Casey was not true. But
even then he promised her that he would not let her secret out to
anybody.
However, be warned Sophie that Danny Casey was a famous
player. He must have a lot of girlfriends. He knew that Danny
Casey would not turn up next week to meet her. He tried to
persuade Sophie against her craziness for Danny in fact Geoff
was not only the elder brother of Sophie but also her friend and
guide.

Q3 Teachers always advise their students to dream big yet

the same teachers in the classroom find fault with Sophie
when she dreams. What is wrong with Sophie’s dreams?
Ans. It is always good to dream big. But the dreams should also
be realistic. We can’t achieve great heights suddenly as if
someone has turned a magical wand Sophie belongs to a low
middle class family.

She has no means to gain name and fame: Therefore, she starts
weaving in her mind the unrealistic dreams and fantasies. First of
all, she thinks that she would open a fine boutique in the city.
When her friend Janse tells her that it would take a lot of money
to open a boutique, she says that she would become a manager
to begin with. She does not realise that no one would make her a
manager straight off.

Then she thinks of becoming an actress. She takes a chance

meeting with Danny Casey as the beginning of a love affair with
him. She dreams of meeting with him. But this and her other
dreams are just a product of her imagination.

She doesn’t know how to realise them. We should dream big but
for that we should make constant efforts. Mere dreaming brings
disappointment as it happens with Sophie.