Analyse af 'The Happiest Days of Your Life'

The happiest days of your life is all about the class system, and the way that the middle class is trying to become upper class. In The happiest days of your life, you will meet Charles, his mother Margaret and the headmaster’s wife, who is the characters, we meet and mostly sees in this story. In The happiest days of your life that is written by Penelope Lively, you will see how the middle-class people, is trying to become the upper class, and how eager they are to look like the upper class.

The mother does not want Charles to look sick or anything “All right, Charles? You didn’t get sick in the car, did you?” the reason why the mother asks Charles about that is, because she wants to present the family, from their best “Come here and let me tidy your hair.” and want them to look perfect, for the headmaster and his wife. The mother wants to appear wealthy and posh. “You live in Finchley, is that right? Hampstead, really,’ said the mother.” The reason that Charles’s mother, is saying that she lives in Hampstead instead of Finchley, is because Hampstead is a little more noble to live in, then Finchley is. “Sherry would be lovely” Charles’s mother wants a sherry to drink, after the headmaster’s wife asked them, if they would like to get something to drink, and the reason she is saying sherry, is because that it is something the upper-class drinks, but it is mid-day, and a little wired to drink alcohol in the middle of the day.