No one can replace a mother or a father. But when parents split up and get divorced, the children are split between two people who are very important. The parents always want to make it as best as possible and to keep both sides happy and peaceful, but it’s not always possible to make it work. This is illustrated in the short story, ”Compass And Torch” from 2003 written by the writer Elizabeth Baines. The story deals with a boy, who longs for a dad, who practically has gone out of his life after the separation. The main themes of the story are family disunity, coming of age and the relationship between the father and son. Through the point of view we get an insight into the main character’s life.
The main character of the story is an eight year-old boy, who has a complicated family life. About one year ago his parents got divorced, and now he lives with his mom and her new boyfriend, Jim. The point of view is a third-person narrator limited to the boy’s point of view, and the reader gets an insight into his life. He appreciates what Jim is doing for him, but he wants to have a close relationship with his real father. “But Jim is not his dad” (P. 8, l. 35). His relationship with his father is almost non-existing, but he still doesn't want his mother to say bad things about him. “Coming downstairs after finding his torch, he overheard his mother say that she thought of the expedition” (P. 7, ll. 16-17). The boy really wants to impress his father, and he tries to live up to the masculinity of being on an adventure camping trip, which is the setting of the story. “The boy puts his concentration into keeping abreast” (P. 10, l. 151). Everything the father says is exciting for the boy, and he really looks up to his father. “The boy is thrilled” (P. 9, l. 84).
Det er gratis at oprette en konto