Short Stories Comparision - When the Wasps Drowned, Examination Day & the Darkness Out There

Intentionally the authors of all three stories have decided to drag the theme into the main characters taking the step from childhood to adolescence. When the Wasps Drowned by Clare Wigfall uses the wasps as a tool to show how their childhood changes and how they grow up, very similar to how Mrs Rutters tale in the story of The Darkness Out There by Penelope Lively changed Kerry and Sandra as individuals. Examination Day, though having a way different plot also has a theme of main characters changing but in this story the character that changes are the parents. The theme of the main characters to take the step from childhood to adolescence because of their surroundings is set up clearly in the introductions of all the stories where they are described as young and innocent. Also, the older characters make the younger characters realize how brutal and cruel the world actually is differently. Similar to the actions of the older characters all the stories endings are written short to remain the reader with suspense and little clue, this resulting in theories developing among the reader. Above all else, in all three stories the authors use the theme of the main characters to take a step from childhood to adolescence.

In the beginnings of both When The Wasps Drowned and The Darkness Out There the readers gives theories of how the main characters are young and innocent but could be in the process of growing up and taking the footstep towards becoming an adult while in Examination Day the main characters attempt to take this step results in death. In the beginning of When the Wasps Drowned Wigfall starts: “That was the summer Therese stepped on the wasps’ nest and brought an end to our barefoot wanderings” The way Wigfall says that Therese stepped on the wasps’ nest brought an end their barefoot wanderings is metaphorically written purposely to say that their childhood is overdone and they are growing up. Interestingly enough Wigfall continues saying: “when the sun