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Sunday, September 19, 2010

DID SOPHIE REALLY MEET DANNEY CASEY?

Mrs. Vineetha, PGT-English, KV, KANNUR writes...

Did Sophie really meet Danny Casey?

Never on a one to one basis. Of course she knew him as the star player her brother adored. I think the clue lies in Sophie’s obvious distaste for her working class background; she feels she is born for better things like Maupassant's Mattilda Loisel (diamond necklace). The Danny Casey story is her one stab at escaping -to a world of glamour and sophistication. Then why Danney?

Reason 1- he is the one star she knows, a way from her dreary circle.

2nd- she would like her brother to see her as a woman, not a girl - a girl good enough to be noticed and asked out by men like DANNY CASEY whom he admires.

And now the last part - her meeting him- remember, the place she chose for the meeting? One which she had seen other lovers use- her unconscious ideal rendezvous. Then the whole meeting thing- defense mechanism plus a strong imagination- willingly she goes through the motions of a girl in love- first the joyous anticipation part, then the doubting part, confirmation that he is not coming- she tells “now i am sad”

What I mean, is that she goes through each motion of love, savoring each step. It is as if there are two persons- one who goes through anticipation, doubt, heart-break and sadness life long, while the other looks on enjoying. Many nights of girlhood many through these steps with some boy who catch their fancy and their tears and sighs would be very real. They enjoy it too. I mean, girls love to be the tragic queens!

6 comments:

Aravind Venugopal said...

grt... Really helpfull...

Bishikh said...

Haha last line was amazing

Unknown said...

Seriously!? I come here to get info and girls are stereotyped! U misogynists

Andrew Splinn said...

Well, thank you for your insight- everything EXCEPT the last paragraph.

If Literature can teach you anything, it is that you can't generalise people. Everyone is different and experiences the same incident differently. There are multiple angles to everything. Similarly, there are multiple facets to one person. Don't stereotype Sophie. How can you judge her from one incident, a mere few pages of her life?
Also, can you apply the last paragraph to Sophie's friend, Jansie? I don't think so.

Thus, that last paragraph painting all girls with the same brush (quite callously, I might add) is the perfect example of what should NOT be drilled into students' minds.

Unknown said...

Sophie's behavior seems to suggest mild psychopathy. She isn't exactly mentally healthy. So generalising her would be far from truth. And imaging her to fit adolescence is more wrong whatsoever.

here & There said...

Sophie appears to be a real teenager. During teenage one is entitled to fantasise. Dreams can help a person to grow up...