Going Places: A. R. Barton

The story revolves around the life of Sophie, a teenager, who, like others of her age, is filled with fantasies and desires. She comes from a poor financial background, but hopes to be sophisticated in the future. Sophie dreams of owning a boutique one day ot being an actress or fashion designer, but her friend Jansie believes that both of them are earmarked for the biscuit factory. Jansie, who is more realistic, tries to pull Sophie to reality, but in vain.

Sophie lives in a small house with her parents and brothers, Geoff and little Derek. Though she voices her feelings and desires, her parents belittle her, because they, unlike her, are more mature and has known the harsh realities of life.
Sophie finds a sort of fascination for her elder brother Geoff, who, in her opinion, is tall, strong and handsome but reserved. She envies his silence and often wonders about his thoughts and areas of his life that she doesn't know about.

The centre of this story is that Sophie fantasises about Danny Casey, an Irish football player, whom she had seen playing in innumerable matches. She makes up a story about how she met him in the streets and tells this to Geoff. Geoff, who is more sensible than Sophie, does not really believe her, even if she wants to. It seems an unlikely incident for Sophie to meet the prodigy in their street, but where Sophie describes the meeting inall her details, he begins to hope that it could be true. She tells him that Danny has promised to meet her somewhere again.

Sophie gets so pulled into the story she made that she herself begins to believe that its true. She waits for the Irish player, but obviously, he never arrives. Then, she makes her way home, wondering how her brother would be disappointed on knowing that Danny Casey never showed up. However, Sophie still fantasises about her hero, unperturbed.



The whole story is about unrealistic dreams and how we love to indulge in them knowing all the while that they have little possibility of coming true. But some, like Sophie, gets too involved in them and actually act on them. This is when disappointment makes its entrance into life. The story seem to hint at you that it is okay to dream, but dream with limits. This is actual reality and do not believe too much in movies and novels where the characters miraculously over come their challenges. This is a pessimistic way of looking at things, but sadly it is the true reality. Unless you are impossibly ambitious, hardworking, and have loads of patience and perseverance, such dreams are best to be kept under lock and key unless you like the taste of bitter disappointment

39 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. I would like to state that you didn't get the story completely and moreover, read the original piece if you want to relish the beauty of the piece. :)

      Delete
  2. Thanks a lot... helped me a lot with my class 12th exams...!! you are great..! keep it up..!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Replies
    1. you need to understand literature first...then you can suggest that authors like : barton,keats , are so called " baakvas" or not ...

      Delete
  4. Thanx for the explanation....it helped me a lot today...the day before AISSCE 2012.....i really couldn't understand the last part of the story...but after reading this it is crystal clear.... Thanx a lot.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yes the story is definitely meaningless

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. oh really?is it so? i don't think so...
      it is meaning less for those who don't want to see the reality of life n just wasting their life without setting any aim in their life....

      Delete
  6. "Though she voices her feelings and desires, her parents belittle her, because they, unlike her, are more mature and have known the harsh realities of life."
    It has to be 'have' instead of 'has'.2nd paragraph and 4line.

    ReplyDelete
  7. though its about a common part of life all fascinations but afterall things are understood to us when we get into it.....
    its a good story ....making lucid the bitter truths of life.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sophie is SCHIZOPHRENIC, from all i can make out...

    ReplyDelete
  9. Why cant it mean that she stupidly fell in love with him and that he cheated her and didnt show up?! she kept saying that they know it...Danny and her, they know the sadnes...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. On page 57, line 2
      "Coming through the arcade she pictured him again outside Royce's."
      She imagined him there again...
      The words 'pictured him' indicate that the whole thing was just a fantasy.

      Delete
  10. Thank you so much. Writing my answer will be easier now.
    :D

    ReplyDelete
  11. meaningless? bakvas?
    U people lack imagination and love for literature!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. or probably we have a more classic taste in literature to appreciate trash?

      Delete
  12. The entire thing in a nutshell. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I am really fed up with most of the stories in Hues:An Anthology of Short Stories, meant for ISC. I love literature and therefore doubly disappointed at most of the stories which fail to interest or stimulate me in any way!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Story is really bakwas ,bt observe the expressions n language used to make this theme under...dable : the adolescent hero worship andfantasising

    ReplyDelete
  15. The story is neither meaningless nor unrealistic. We do come across such split personalities as Sophie in our real life, don't we ? The story mirrors contemporary realities - hero worship, fantasising, father-son/daughter distraught relationship, and the like. But more pertinently, it's Sophies age that makes her act the way she does. Will young girls agree ?

    ReplyDelete
  16. very nice storie i like it very much

    ReplyDelete
  17. the story is very nice we can see so many people like sophie in our community

    ReplyDelete
  18. This is an amazing story. Although initially it fails to attract the reader, the underlying meaning is absolutely worth it. Its a beautiful and calm way to convey a message to all those little girls who fantasise similarly about various celebrities; If not a football star, Danney Case, it maybe some teenage boyband (eg. One direction, Union J etc.)
    It may seem stupid and a boring story to all those who are unaware of the madness people potray just to see these characters; Day dreaming is just a part of them.

    ReplyDelete
  19. This is so true and I quite relate myself to Sophie, truth is some people are dreamers while others are so. I think there are extremes to every personality, and I know how tough it would be for Sophie. Love her! <3

    ReplyDelete
  20. heyii..thanX...helped a lot 4 my boards :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. A contemporary Walter Mitty? ... But faaar less likable.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Thanx it helped meh in mah board xams

    ReplyDelete
  23. I can't understand the title to this story..........i mean what is the relation between 'going places' and childish fantasies.....??!

    ReplyDelete
  24. You all can go on and on about how wonderful this story is but the truth is that it sucks. Oh, I've understood it. I've read it several times. It's dull, uninteresting and fails to appeal to the reader. The writing is very good yes, but plot is as vague and annoying as a Kanye West song. Basically, the story can be summed up as, "Sophie is a young child who daydreams about stuff that probably won't come true and she knows it but she does so anyway and ends up feeling disappointed but that doesn't stop her from telling false stories to her brother in order to impress him. Fa di da da dum."
    Secondly, there's one more thing I'd like to address. Young girls daydream, true. But so do boys. Try not to limit traits to a gender, it always ends up being harmful. A young boy can daydream as much as a girl and there's nothing wrong with that.

    PS: I'm not flaming the summary; the summary is good.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Didnt have the patience to read your write up - but the story is awesome!
    Bakvaas....?! Lets agree to disagree...

    Oh, everybody - heres an insight from a crazy classmate of mine.
    So - why is Sophies name sophie?
    Ans. "Because she is "Sophi- sticated."
    Ha ha! She is mental....I know...
    But, come on - its true!
    Anyways!
    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Can a story be as annoying as this one? The title is not appropriate at all, the plot is at the height of vagueness! Summary is cool but the story itself is a bizarre. Okay granted that teenage girls do adore "cute" celebs a lot and fall hopelessly in love with them. But come on! No girl is that much of a moron to make up all this shit of meeting up and all. What's even worse? Yeah, its the part when Sophie actually goes to that place just to see if Danny Casey would come there to meet her. Utter nonsense.

    Believe me I have girl friends who are hopelessly in love with one direction and other "cute" celebs but shit, I've never ever heard them say that they met them or any other thing that makes more sense -_- Isc stories all suck.. All I adore is Macbeth, it's a piece!

    ReplyDelete
  27. such a nice stry... the bitter truth of lyf... dream but dream in ur limits..

    ReplyDelete