Analyse af Penelope Livelys 'The Happiest Days of Your Life'

Being a child can mean many things. Especially if you’re introverted and just accepts the decisions your parents make for you. This is when you learn how much they really listen to you, and how little influence you have over your own life. You’ll face challenges where you might think it’s your parents who should make the decision. But is it, really?

In her short story, “The Happiest Days of Your Life”, Penelope Lively shows us the experience of a young boy named Charles as he deals with anxiety during a visit to a fancy school with his parents. Through Charles perspective, we see the struggle between what parents want for their children and the innocence of being a kid.

Social class and childhood anxiety are central themes in this story. The interactions between Charles and his parents, reveal the pressures and expectations that come with social ambitions. The setting shows a rich school environment, which makes the difference clear between the parents’ dreams for their son, and Charles’ personal struggle. Consequently, focus of this analytical essay will be on the setting, characters, and the atmosphere.

In this short story, we are introduced to the main character, Charles, who is a young boy that is preparing to start at a new Preparatory School. We don’t get much information about him, but throughout the story, we meet his introverted personality. For example, his mother must push him out of the car by saying “come on, then, Charles, out you get”, p. 3 l. 9. This indicates that Charles doesn’t really want to get out of the car. When being showed around inside of the school, he appears quiet and passive, and is just following his parent, and the school leader. When he meets the other boys at the school, he gets centret between them. In this moment, he keeps quiet and doesn’t talk to or answer them.