Chapter 8: Going Places

Sophie and Jansie were classmates and friends, but they couldn’t have been more different. Sophie was a daydreamer who was ambitious, had a lot of fantasies, and was not realistic. She aspired to make a lot of money and become famous. Jansie, on the other hand, was realistic, grounded, and aware of her fate.

Sophie’s father is a very practical person who becomes enraged when she tells him about her fantasies and dreams. He is characterized as a plum-faced, sweaty man with no refined behaviour or appropriate food habits. He is a football fan and goes to a pub to celebrate his team’s victory.

Sophie liked her brother, Geoff, more than anyone else because he didn’t talk much and was often lost in his thoughts. She envied his silence and imagined that he had access to a mysterious world. She wished to be a part of that world, and she imagined herself dressed up and welcomed by everyone. For Sophie, Geoff symbolized liberty from the monotonous life they had been living.

Sophie came from a lower-middle-class family. Through the description of the small house with a cluttered sink and a pile of dirty dishes and the fact that Jansie considers working in the biscuit factory after school, their financial situation is revealed. Furthermore, Geoff’s occupation as a mechanic and Sophie’s dream, the desire to become famous and earn good money; another scene in the story in which her father rides his bicycle to the pub indicates their financial background.

Working With The Words:

Notice the following expressions. The highlighted words are not used in a literal sense. Explain what they mean.

• Words had to be prized out of him like stones out of a ground.

• Sophie felt a tightening in her throat.

If he keeps his head on his shoulders.

• On Saturday, they made their weekly pilgrimage to the United.

• She saw… him ghost past the lumbering defenders.

• “Words had to be prized out of him” means he used to talk very less and when he talked, the words were worthy.

• “Tightening in her throat” means to feel suffocated or to choke and to feel sad.

• “If he keeps his head on his shoulders” means to make the right decisions.

• “They made their weekly pilgrimage” means visiting their favourite place every week, which they consider to be holy.

• “Ghost past” means to walk silently behind someone.