Clara's Day
Clara's day
This short story "Clara's day" by Penelope Lively is about a girl, Clara, who suddenly took off all of her clothes and started walking naked around at her school. After this sensational episode she was told that she had to meet "the Head" after school. They talked about Clara's reasons for doing what she did, because as the Head said on page 53 line 1-2, "..you aren't really like that, are you?", and Clara agreed that she wasn't. Naturally Clara's parents, or in this case, mother was informed about this episode, but she just laughed when she read the letter about Clara's deeds.
In the beginning of the story we meat the very determined Clara, who doesn't seem to care about what anybody thinks about her, but as the story proceeds we notice that she's actually fragile and helpless. Though she has constructed a good façade, which helps her lying to the Head, about how things are at home. She tells the Head that everything is absolutely fine, but it clearly isn't. It is obvious that there is a sort of problem in the relationship between Clara and her mother. My impression is that the mother simply doesn't care for what her daughter does or wants to do. Even when a letter in black and white tells her that her daughter has taken of all of her clothes in the middle of a lot of people, she doesn't realize that something is wrong. At least she could have shown some kind of wonder or concern. The mother seems to care more for her own life and her relationship with her boyfriend, Stan and doesn't give Clara the attention she needs.
As a mother, and especially a single mother, you are one of the most important people in your daughter's life, and if you let her down or appear to be indifferent with her, it will most likely be extremely hard for the girl. In this relationship between Clara and her mother, Clara is almost invisible to the mother. It's not that mother doesn't talk or listen to what Clara says, but she might have a tendency to disregard what's said
This short story "Clara's day" by Penelope Lively is about a girl, Clara, who suddenly took off all of her clothes and started walking naked around at her school. After this sensational episode she was told that she had to meet "the Head" after school. They talked about Clara's reasons for doing what she did, because as the Head said on page 53 line 1-2, "..you aren't really like that, are you?", and Clara agreed that she wasn't. Naturally Clara's parents, or in this case, mother was informed about this episode, but she just laughed when she read the letter about Clara's deeds.
In the beginning of the story we meat the very determined Clara, who doesn't seem to care about what anybody thinks about her, but as the story proceeds we notice that she's actually fragile and helpless. Though she has constructed a good façade, which helps her lying to the Head, about how things are at home. She tells the Head that everything is absolutely fine, but it clearly isn't. It is obvious that there is a sort of problem in the relationship between Clara and her mother. My impression is that the mother simply doesn't care for what her daughter does or wants to do. Even when a letter in black and white tells her that her daughter has taken of all of her clothes in the middle of a lot of people, she doesn't realize that something is wrong. At least she could have shown some kind of wonder or concern. The mother seems to care more for her own life and her relationship with her boyfriend, Stan and doesn't give Clara the attention she needs.
As a mother, and especially a single mother, you are one of the most important people in your daughter's life, and if you let her down or appear to be indifferent with her, it will most likely be extremely hard for the girl. In this relationship between Clara and her mother, Clara is almost invisible to the mother. It's not that mother doesn't talk or listen to what Clara says, but she might have a tendency to disregard what's said