Going Places
The theme of this story is adolescent fantasising and hero-worship.
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 pooh-pooh her, because they, unlike her, are more mature and know the truths of life.
Sophie finds a sort of fascination for her elder brotherGeoff, who is tall, strong and handsome and 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 whe Sophie describes the meeting in all 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
Summary
Read here the ten effective ways by which Sophie made her lies appear real.
Important Questions and Answers
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 pooh-pooh her, because they, unlike her, are more mature and know the truths of life.
Sophie finds a sort of fascination for her elder brotherGeoff, who is tall, strong and handsome and 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 whe Sophie describes the meeting in all 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
Summary
- Sophie
Sophie belonged to a poor family. She had a lot of unfulfilled dreams. She wanted to own a beautique, she wanted to be an actress, she wanted to be a fashion designer and much more. She longed to be anything that was beyond her reach. When she could not achieve them she satisfied herself by telling lies and enjoying when people believed her. - Sophie Tells a Lie
After an interval Sophie came with another sophisticated lie: She met Danny Casey, a popular football player from Ireland now a distraction for the English youth. As usual she made her brother Geoff believe this story by reminding him he was always the first one she told her secrets. - The Lie Spreads
Geoff took the story to their father and then proudly to his friends. The story reached many and people started asking Sophie about her relations with their great hero, Casey. They were also told that Sophie was to meet Danny in a park on a certain day. - Lie or Truth?
Days passed and everyone forgot Sophie and her Casey. By this time the effect of telling the lie continuously made Sophie believe her own lie. She could not think of it in clear lights. In a way Sophie became the victim of her own repeated lies. - Victim of a Lie
The Saturday on which Sophie was to meet Casey finally arrived. Sophie found her walking to the park to meet Danny Casey. She sat there and began waiting for Casey’s coming. Minutes ticked away and Danny delayed his coming. Sophie’s excitement gave way to doubts. She began to doubt if he would really come or not. She grew sad for his not coming. And then, when she thought the other way, she realized that it was all a lie. Realization came to her. She saw how big a burden it was for her to put herself in such a situation. She rose and walked back.
Read here the ten effective ways by which Sophie made her lies appear real.
- Introduce the lie to a simple, trusted person. Remember, she told the lie to Geoff.
- In case the first listener is suspicious of you, tell him that he was the first one you broke the news to and also pretend that you are pretty wounded by his question, “Have you told this to anyone else?”.
- Wait for some time. Geoff will spread the news to his friends, not the entire news, but half of it. Do not be impatient.
- Soon, one of your friends will come to you, anxious, curious, and will ask you, “Sophie, I heard that you and he are in relation…” or just kind of.
- Do not admit it. On the contrary, pretend that you are broken, scattered because Geoff should not have told that “secret” to any one. (In fact you have been waiting for this!)
- When your drama takes effects, just ask the second person, “Well, how much did he tell you?”
- She will tell you half of your lie, because Geoff had told only this much to his friends. Then you have to say, “Thank god! He didn’t tell you everything. After all, there are people whom I can trust!”
- This will intensify the curiosity in Jansie. She will insist upon telling the “other half of the story.”
- Pretending you are unwilling to tell anymore, tell the other part of the lie. This will definitely work.
- Now, Jansie will do the rest.
Important Questions and Answers