Analysis and Interpretation of “Clara’s Day” by Penelope Lively
Jeppe Højmark, 1.d !
English: Clara’s Day
06.05.2011
Clara’s Day: Analysis and interpretation
“Clara’s Day” by Penelope Lively takes place in a school in London, approximately in the mid 80s.
15 year old Clara Tilling takes her clothes off in morning assembly one day, and walks naked through the crowd into the form-room, where she put on a science overall. Moments later a teacher brings her clothes, and Clara continues school. People are patting her back and giving her attention, which wears off at lunch time. Later, Clara is called to the Head’s office where they talk about the event of the morning. Clara’s answers are not quite clear and she does not come up with any points on why she acted the way she did. As she says that everything is fine, the Head sends her off, letting her know a note will be send to her mother. Clara passes the park on the way home. A few days later, when Stan (her mother’s friend) had spend the night, the note from the Head arrives, and
Clara’s mother and Stan’s responses include giggling and grinning, as if it was a joke. When they leave the breakfast table Clara is sitting alone and she bursts in to tears.
Clara has been an insecure girl through her childhood according to her mother. At age of 15, when she walks naked through the school, she has clearly both grown and changed. It was either planned or she had just thought it over, when she took her clothes off, because she prepared herself by not wearing any underwear. Clara might have wanted to feel more liberated, and the nakedness could symbolize her new way of living, while all of her clothes are the stress and insecurity and all the things that are against her, she is leaving behind. Clara will realize that it is not easy to go from one life to another, when Mrs Mayhew, a teacher, brings her the clothes (which still symbolizes the things she wanted to leave behind) she wore earlier. Another thing that shows how Clara is feeling about not being a free
English: Clara’s Day
06.05.2011
Clara’s Day: Analysis and interpretation
“Clara’s Day” by Penelope Lively takes place in a school in London, approximately in the mid 80s.
15 year old Clara Tilling takes her clothes off in morning assembly one day, and walks naked through the crowd into the form-room, where she put on a science overall. Moments later a teacher brings her clothes, and Clara continues school. People are patting her back and giving her attention, which wears off at lunch time. Later, Clara is called to the Head’s office where they talk about the event of the morning. Clara’s answers are not quite clear and she does not come up with any points on why she acted the way she did. As she says that everything is fine, the Head sends her off, letting her know a note will be send to her mother. Clara passes the park on the way home. A few days later, when Stan (her mother’s friend) had spend the night, the note from the Head arrives, and
Clara’s mother and Stan’s responses include giggling and grinning, as if it was a joke. When they leave the breakfast table Clara is sitting alone and she bursts in to tears.
Clara has been an insecure girl through her childhood according to her mother. At age of 15, when she walks naked through the school, she has clearly both grown and changed. It was either planned or she had just thought it over, when she took her clothes off, because she prepared herself by not wearing any underwear. Clara might have wanted to feel more liberated, and the nakedness could symbolize her new way of living, while all of her clothes are the stress and insecurity and all the things that are against her, she is leaving behind. Clara will realize that it is not easy to go from one life to another, when Mrs Mayhew, a teacher, brings her the clothes (which still symbolizes the things she wanted to leave behind) she wore earlier. Another thing that shows how Clara is feeling about not being a free