CBSE Class 12 English Going Places Notes Set B

About The Author

A. R. Barton is a modern writer, who lives in Zurich and writes in English. He has authored many stories like “Going Places” which are mainly concerned with the problems and stages of adolescence.

Summary

It is normal for teenagers to dream. They aspire to reach the sky. They feel they can do the impossible. They look upto someone as their role model. This story is about a teenage girl, Sophie, who is a dreamer. She wishes to have the first boutique in the city. She has no money or means as she belongs to a lower middle class family. Her friend Jansie is a practical girl. She is aware of the realities of life. Jansie advises her not to indulge in fantasy. Having a boutique requires a lot of money. However, Sophie thought she would become a manager to have the money. She even dreamt of becoming an actor or a fashion designer. Jansie knows they have no other option but to work in the biscuit factory. 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 know the harsh realities of life. Sophie has a fascination for her elder brother Geoff, who in her opinion is tall, strong, handsome but reserved.

Geoff is an apprentice mechanic. She envies his silence and often wonders about his thoughts and areas of his life that is not known to her. Sophie wants to meet interesting, exotic people who she thinks are part of her brother’s world. She wants her brother to introduce her to those places and people. However, she knows her father will not allow it. Moreover, Geoff thinks she is too young; Sophie was impatient. She imagines Geoff riding a bike wearing black leathers and she sitting behind him in a yellow dress with a cape.

The whole world is applauding them. Sophie tells Geoff of her meeting with Danny Casey in the arcade. Geoff does not believe her. But Sophie gives the description with such conviction, describing Danny’s physical appearance. Geoff tells the same to their father who waves off the story and discusses Danny’s skill as a player. Her father warns Sophie that cooking up such stories may land her up in some trouble. But Sophie does not give up. She describes it to be a chance encounter at the Royce’s. She asked Danny for an autograph and neither of them had a paper or pen, they discussed clothes and Danny promised her to meet the next week and give his autograph.

Geoff says that it was the most unlikely thing to happen. The family goes to watch the football match. Sophie, her father and Derek sit near the goal and Geoff and his friends sit higher to watch the match. Danny exhibits his Irish genius. Witnessing the crowd’s adulation Danny, Sophie glowed with pride. Jansie comes to know about Sophie’s lie. She asks Sophie about it. Sophie is shocked that Jansie knows about her lie. She admits to Jansie that she met the celebrity but Jansie refuses to believe her. Sophie is happy that Geoff kept her secret and did not tell about her date with Danny. Sophie tells Jansie that it was all incidental. Sophie says as there was no pen or paper, she could not get an autograph.

Jansie said she may trust Sophie and then leaves. Sophie waits for Danny Casey at her favorite spot along the canal as she thought it was a perfect place for a date. She tries hard to maintain a balance between her dream and reality and keeps on contemplating on the prospect of Danny coming or not to meet her. Her own thoughts make her sad. Sophie is frightened what will she go and tell her family about Danny not coming to meet her, especially to Geoff. She is unable to accept the reality. Though she feels sad and miserable she does not want to give up on her dream. Sophie once again dreams of meeting Danny at Royce and asking for his autograph. She dreams of discussing his popularity with her family. She fails to come out of her fantasy and is overwhelmed by the memory of the match as this was the only time when she saw Danny Casey in reality.

Character Sketch of Sophie
Sophie is an escapist. She is a romantic dreamer who has very high aspirations. As seen at the start of the story, she ignores her reality of working in the biscuit factory and instead, aspires to become something a bit sophisticated. Her choices are manager, actress, and fashion designer. She has not seen the world but tries to get a glimpse of it from Geoff. Sometimes she wishes that he would take her out with him as she was ready for the vast world. Sophie liked to daydream about Danny Casey. She could not draw the fine line between reality and dreams. She believed her own fantasies to be true and waited for Danny at the park. When she realised that he would not come, she turned disappointed and felt a burden. These imaginary expectations that she creates in her mind cause her sadness.

Character Sketch of Jansie
Jansie has been portrayed as the frame character in the story ‘Going places’ written by A. R Barton. Sophie and Jansie are both from working class, and their families appear to be friends with one another.
Jansie has been Characterised as a realistic. Jansie is a friend of Sophie’s. Jansie is considerably more realistic and pessimistic than Sophie. She is also noted as a gossipmonger who is unable to keep secrets. She knows that the two of them are “earmarked for the biscuit factory” a truth which makes her feel “melancholy”.

Character sketch of Danny Casey
Danny Casey is a famous football star who is greatly admired, most importantly by Sophie’s older brother Geoff. He is described as a young, bright, beloved “prodigy.” Sophie tells her family a story that she met Danny Casey and he asked her on a date, which is meant to impress them and make them admire her. However, she seems to believe her own fantasy, and is disappointed when Danny Casey doesn’t appear on the night she said they would meet. The version of Danny Casey that Sophie creates is gentle, has soft eyes, and is kind towards her. She says that Casey plans to open a boutique (which is also Sophie’s ambition), and she describes Casey as being her own height and “no bolder” than her. Clearly, then, the Danny Casey of Sophie’s fantasy is meant as a stand-in for her, someone living Sophie’s own dreams of success and acclaim who she imagines to be not meaningfully different from her (thereby making her own dreams seem more in reach).

Character Sketch of Sophie’s Brother Geoff
Geoff is Sophie’s older brother, the oldest child in the family. He is a mechanic apprentice who has a motorcycle, and (to Sophie, at least) this appears to give him freedom and a glamorous life. Sophie imagines that Geoff knows interesting people and travels to unknown parts of the city, and she hopes that he will take her with him, helping her to escape her own life. However, the story presents details about Geoff that suggest that Sophie is projecting onto him: he is shy, for instance, so it’s unlikely that he has lots of secret friends, and he spends a lot of time at home. He does not share Sophie’s interest in aesthetics, fame, or fortune, and while Sophie imagines Geoff in stylish clothes, in real life his clothes are unfashionable. Geoff’s main interest seems to be the football player Danny Casey, which leads Sophie to claim that she is going on a date with him. She hopes that this will make Geoff admire her, and while it does pique his interest, the scheme ultimately fails. Presumably, she and Geoff will not get closer and he will not rescue her from her life, since Geoff seems not to be the person Sophie hopes that he is.

Character Sketch of Sophie’s Father
Sophie’s father, who is not named, is the story’s antagonist. He works in some kind of manual labor, returning home each night dirty and sweaty and shovels food into his mouth. He treats Sophie with disdain, chastising her for telling “wild stories” and dismissing her ambitions and desires. Through the reactions of his children (who all seem scared of him), the reader learns that he is an imposing figure with a drinking problem and a temper. Barton describes him in a rather unfavorable way, using words such as “grimy” and pointing out the fat rolls on his neck.

Character Sketch of Sophie’s Mother
Sophie’s mom is a pleasant and hardworking woman, who shares none of her daughter’s interest in fashion and football. She comes from a middle-class family and has worked hard to improve her financial situation. She believes that success is measured by one’s wealth and social status and is very focused on ensuring that Sophie and her brother achieve this. She does not believe in taking risks or pursuing dreams that are not practical.

The lesson explores the theme of adolescent fantasies and hero worship. It is natural for the youngsters to idolize successful people and dream of following their footsteps. But their dreams drive them away from the harsh realities of life and later on when this fact dawns on them it becomes difficult for them to come to terms with life.

Sophie and Jansie are both in the last year of high school and both know 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. She dreams of opening a high end boutique. But her ambitions are not rooted in reality i.e., have no relation with the harsh realities of life. In contrast Jansie, Sophie’s friend, is a realistic and practical girl.

Sophie lives in 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 Geoff and tells them that she met Casey, the wonder boy of football. When she gave the footballer’s detailed physical appearance he believed her. Also that she had asked for his autograph but since neither of them had pen or paper, they had decided to meet next week and Casey had promised to give her autograph.

But she carries her fantasies too far when she starts to live them. She waits for Casey at her favourite spot and imagines him coming. She tries to balance her excitement by weighing the prospects of his coming with the prospects of his not coming.

Her thoughts make her feel sad and miserable.

Key Points

• 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 were 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 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.

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 were 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 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.

GOING PLACES BY A.R. BARTON

Background

Sophie’s character represents the adolescent anguish of having to conform to the norms set by the society. She rebels against the system by creating a make believe reality. In a way, Sophie’s struggles are that of every teenager standing on the brink of adulthood and the myriad of other responsibilities that it brings.

Theme

The story, ‘Going Places’, describes the aspirations and dreams of the youth and the pain of unfulfilled promises and shattered dreams. It deals with the complexities of human relationships along with the adolescent fantasizing and hero-worship.

Vocabulary Exercise - Crossword Puzzle Clues

Across
5. Not matching, strange
7. Gallery with arch
10. Destined

Down
1. Sad
2. Elegant, Stylish
3. Attempt to repair, fiddle with
4. Full of dirt
6. A talented young person
8. Became happy
9. A level quayside area to which a ship may be moored to load and unload

Main Points

• Sophie and Jansie are both in the last year of high school and both knew that they were 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 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.

Literary Devices

• Going places - idiom
• Money grows on trees - idiom
• “This another of your wild stories?” - rhetorical question
• Shiny and shapeless - alliteration

Extract Based Questions

“She thinks money grows on trees, don’t she, Dad?’ said little Derek, hanging on the back of his father’s chair. Their mother sighed. 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 had already blacked in the windows and 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. Sophie felt a tightening in her throat. She went to look for her brother Geoff.

1. Choose the correct option about Sophie’s parents based on the extract given above.
(a) Sophie’s parents’ marriage was an example of harmony and affection.
(b) Sophie’s relationship with her parents was warm and friendly.
(c) Sophie’s mother was subdued while her father was detached.
(d) Sophie and her brother didn’t like to stay with their parents.
Answer: (c) Sophie’s mother was subdued while her father was detached.

2. Choose the option that supports the contention coming through Derek’s dialogue, “She thinks money grows on trees, don’t she, Dad?”.
(a) Derek thought his sister to be unreasonable at times.
(b) Derek had no faith in Sophie’s abilities to open a boutique.
(c) Derek thought of his sister as someone who was realistic.
(d) Derek was not at all happy about Sophie’s habit of day dreaming
Answer: (a) Derek thought his sister to be unreasonable at times.

3. It could be inferred that Sophie’s mother was fatigued and burdened. Choose the option listing the elements that form the basis of this inference.
1) her sigh
2) the delicate bow
3) the apron’s strings
4) her crooked back
(a) 1, 2
(b) 3, 4
(c) 2, 3
(d) 1, 4
Answer: (d) 1, 4

4. “Sophie felt a tightening in her throat.” Pick the option that lists Sophie’s feelings in this context.
1) anxious
2) annoyed
3) uneasy
4) terrified
(a) Options 1 & 3
(b) Options 2 & 3
(c) Options 1 & 4
(d) Options 2 & 4
Answer: (a) Options 1 & 3

Short Answer Questions (40-50 words)

Question 1. ‘Jansie, knowing they were both earmarked for the biscuit factory, became melancholy’. What inference about Jansie’s character is drawn from the above line?
Answer: Jansie is practical and rooted to reality, unlike Sophie. She understands the socio-economic limitations of her family and accepts her future without indulging in escapist fantasies.

Question 2. Why does Jansie discourage Sophie from having certain dreams?
Answer: Jansie is aware of the reality of their situation. She knows Sophie is building castles in the air and doesn't want her friend to get hurt when her unrealistic dreams eventually shatter against the harsh truth of their lives.

Question 3. What does Sophie think about Geoff’s job?
Answer: Sophie views Geoff’s job as something very exciting and fun-filled. She imagines it is full of freedom, meeting new people, and motorcycle rides—all experiences that she feels are currently out of her reach.

Long Answer Questions (120-150 words)

Question 1. “Well I’ll be a manager then -yes, of course - to begin with”. Sophie lives in a world of fantasy instead of facing reality. Write an article on how the youth of today must inculcate an attitude of doing rather than dreaming.
Answer: The youth today must work for their dreams. Dreaming is necessary but pointless if we never wake up and implement them; no one will ever accomplish your ambitions for you. Additionally, getting caught up in a dream and not acting on it can be like quicksand. You must ask yourself what you’re waiting for and get going. While as young children we are taught to dream big and know we can become what we want, it is only through consistent action and facing reality that these dreams take a tangible shape. Inculcating an attitude of 'doing' involves setting realistic goals and working steadily towards them, rather than merely fantasizing about a glamorous future without any effort.

Question 2. Sophie’s dreams and disappointments are all in her mind. Many people in our society go through pain because of psychological issues. These issues could be easily cured through counselling and medication. Write an article on the importance of mental wellbeing and the need to shed the attitude surrounding psychological treatment/counselling.
Answer: Counseling is known as one of the greatest helping professions on Earth; yet many people remain perplexed about its true meaning, purpose, and intention. Psychotherapy and other counseling techniques help individuals explore moods and behaviors, provide fresh perspectives, and offer a better understanding of emotions. This process improves mood, treats mental illness, reduces medical costs, improves communication and relationships, and promotes self-esteem and resilience. It is vital to shed the stigma surrounding psychological treatment so that individuals like Sophie, who might be struggling with escapism or internal conflict, can find the support they need to lead healthy, grounded lives.