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Going Places

The document summarizes the short story "Going Places" which explores the theme of a teenage girl named Sophie's fantasies and unrealistic dreams. Sophie dreams of success beyond her working class background but her friend Jansie encourages her to be more practical. While Sophie's family enjoys football, her story of meeting famous player Danny Casey is likely just a product of her imagination as she tends to get lost in fantasy. The story examines the disconnect between adolescent dreams and harsh realities.

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Taresh Setya
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617 views14 pages

Going Places

The document summarizes the short story "Going Places" which explores the theme of a teenage girl named Sophie's fantasies and unrealistic dreams. Sophie dreams of success beyond her working class background but her friend Jansie encourages her to be more practical. While Sophie's family enjoys football, her story of meeting famous player Danny Casey is likely just a product of her imagination as she tends to get lost in fantasy. The story examines the disconnect between adolescent dreams and harsh realities.

Uploaded by

Taresh Setya
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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GOING

PLACES
A.R.Barton
RELEVANCE OF THE TITLE

▪ The title of the lesson is justified, as 'Going Places' is an idiomatic expression


meaning “to be successful in one's career”.
▪ The lesson is about Sophie's wish and fantasy to come out of the drudgery of
belonging to the lower strata of society and to go places.
▪ Sophie also goes 'places in her fantasies.
▪ It is a good thing to dream. However, dreams should be realistic.
▪ Merely fantasizing and daydreaming will cause disillusionment.
▪ Unless one is hardworking and persevering, mere dream will only lead to
disappointment.
 
A.R.BARTON

▪ A.R.Barton  was an English writer and


mainly focused on writing literary
pieces which are laying focus on
contemporary problems and daily
issues.

▪ In this lesson itself, she told and


expresses her feelings about what
teenagers face during this stage and
how they fantasize and indulge in
unrealistic dreams.
MARY QUANT- FASHION DESIGNER

▪ Born on 11 February 1930


▪
an English fashion icon

▪ Welsh fashion designer

▪ was one of the designers who took credit for


the miniskirt and hot pants
▪
▪ became an instrumental figure in the 1960s
London-based youth fashion movements
SIR THOMAS FINNEY (1922-2014)

an English footballer who played from 1946 to 1960


CHARACTERS

▪ Sophie: a school going teenager


▪ Jansie: a friend and classmate of Sophie
▪ Geoff: an elder brother of Sophie
▪ Derek: a younger brother of Sophie
▪ Danny Casey: A young Irish football player
▪ Tom Finney: A great football player
▪ Father & mother of Sophie
LESSON AT A GLANCE
SOPHIE’S DREAMS
▪ Open a boutique after her schooling
▪ Become a manager
▪ Become an actress
▪ Otherwise a fashion designer

JANSIE’S ADVICE
▪ Jansie asks her to be sensible
▪ Both were poor and have to work only in a biscuit factory
▪ Sophie refuses to accept reality

SOPHIE’S FAMILY AND ITS STATUS


▪ Sophie’s father was a manual labourer
▪ Mother was back crooked due to household work.
▪ Brother Geoff – an apprentice mechanic
▪ Lived in a small house

SOPHIE'S FATHER
▪ is a dominant character
▪ is strong and hardworking
▪ loves to watch football matches
▪ does not believe in Sophie's imaginary stories
▪ Sophie is scared of her father

SOPHIE'S MOTHER
▪ is quiet & submissive
▪ She doesn't have any dialogues in the story
▪ She doesn't join her family for the weekend football matches.

ABOUT GEOFF
▪ An apprentice mechanic
▪ He is quiet; man of very few words.
▪ He didn't make friends easily.
▪ He was more patient with his sister.
▪ He's a fan of footballer Danny Casey, along with his family.
▪ He watches United's matches every weekend with his friends.
▪ Sophie is fascinated by his life and wants to be a part of it.

ABOUT DANNY CASEY


▪ Sophie told Geoff that she had met Danny Casey, an Irish Footballer
▪ Danny came near her, stood beside her when she was looking at the clothes in Royce’s
window
▪ She recognized him from his accent that she had heard on television.
▪ He was not tall as she had expected him to be.
▪ He had green eyes.
SOPHIE’S FATHER’S VIEWS
▪ Geoff informed about Sophie meeting Danny Casey
▪ He looked in disdain.
▪ He ignored the news.
▪ He discussed Tom Finny and Danny Casey as players.

DANNY CASEY – FAVOURITE


▪ Sophie’s father wishes Danny Casey to be a great player one day.
▪ He wished he remained away from all temptations and distractions.
▪ Sophie tried to convince him about her meeting – he got irritated.

GEOFF’S WARNING
▪ Geoff cautioned Sophie that Casey was a celebrity and he must have a lot of
girl friends
▪ Sophie tries to defend Casey.
▪ She couldn’t take an autograph because both had no pen or paper.
SOPHIE’S FAMILY
▪ Her entire family is a fan of Danny Casey.
▪ On Saturday’s the whole family made their ‘weekly pilgrimage’ to watch the football
match.

JANSIE’S MEETING WITH SOPHIE


▪ Jansie came to enquire about Sophie’s meeting Danny Casey.
▪ Sophie was startled how she came to know about it.
▪ Sophie asked her to keep it as a secret.

SOPHIE WENT TO DREAM WORLD


▪ She went near the canal under a solitary elm tree- far away from the hustle and bustle of
the city.
▪ She sat down on a bench and was obsessed with her meeting Danny Casey.

SOPHIE’S DISAPPOINTMENT
▪ She realized that he would never come.
▪ Her dreams and disappointment were the products of her own fertile mind.
▪ She couldn’t help being a dreamer and escapist.
ANALYSIS

▪ Going Places explores the different realms of expectation, fantasy, desire and
perception of an adolescent.

▪ In all probability, Sophie never met Casey.

▪ Her temperament as seen in her interaction with Jansie, her visit to the park and
Danny's absence all point towards the fact that her interaction with Danny on
Royce's window also never happened, except in her head.
GIST OF THE LESSON

▪ The lesson explores the theme of adolescent fantasies and hero worship.
▪ Sophie and Jansie are both in the last year of high school and both knew that they
are destined to work in the biscuit factory as they belong to a working class
family.
▪ Yet, Sophie, always dreams of big and beautiful things, glamour and glory.
▪ Her ambitions are not rooted in reality i.e., have no relation with the harsh
realities of life.
▪ In contrast is Jansie, Sophie’s friend, a realistic and practical girl.
▪ Sophie lives in a male-dominated family where her mother was only a shadow.
The men were football fans and the conversations around the dinner table were
about Danny Casey, their Hero.
▪ Sophie wants some attention from her father and brother and telling them that she
met Casey, was her way of drawing their attention towards her.
▪ But she carries her fantasies too far when she starts to live them.

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