Going Places – AHSEC Class 12 English Chapter 8

Here is a complete and detailed guide for Chapter 8 of the AHSEC Class 12 English textbook, “Flamingo,” which is “Going Places” by A.R. Barton.

“Going Places” by A.R. Barton: A Comprehensive Guide

This guide provides a thorough set of notes covering all aspects of the chapter to help you prepare for your AHSEC Class 12 English examination.

1. Summary of “Going Places”

“Going Places” by A.R. Barton is a story that explores the theme of adolescent fantasizing and hero-worship. It delves into the dreams and disappointments of a teenage girl, Sophie, whose imagination often clashes with the harsh realities of her working-class life.

The story opens with Sophie telling her friend Jansie about her ambitious plans for the future. Sophie dreams of opening a boutique, becoming an actress, or a fashion designer—all glamorous and well-paying professions. Jansie, who is more practical and grounded, reminds Sophie that they are both “earmarked for the biscuit factory” and that her dreams require a lot of money, which they don’t have.

Sophie lives in a small, cluttered house with her family. Her father is a heavy-breathing, hardworking man, and her mother’s back is “stooped” from household chores. The grim reality of her family’s socio-economic background stands in stark contrast to her fantasies.

Sophie’s hero is Danny Casey, a young and talented Irish football player. She is completely infatuated with him. Her fantasies revolve around him. She tells her older brother, Geoff, an apprentice mechanic, that she met Danny Casey in the arcade. Geoff, who is quiet and reserved, is the only person Sophie shares her secrets with, as she believes he can take her to the “world out there” that she longs for. Geoff is skeptical but also intrigued by her story.

Sophie elaborates on her fantasy, telling Geoff that Casey has green eyes and is not very tall. She adds that he asked her for an autograph but neither of them had a pen, so he promised to meet her again next week. Her father dismisses her story as another of her “wild stories.”

The fantasy becomes more real to Sophie when Geoff tells Jansie’s brother about it, and Jansie comes to question Sophie. Sophie is annoyed that her secret is out, as she wanted it to be something special between her and Geoff.

The climax of the story occurs when Sophie goes to a secluded spot by the canal to wait for Danny Casey for their supposed date. She sits on a wooden bench, a place she considers perfect for a secret meeting. As time passes and he doesn’t arrive, she is filled with “pangs of doubt.” She imagines his arrival and her own excitement.

When he fails to show up, she experiences a deep sense of sadness and disappointment. She knows she will now have to live with the burden of this sadness and the fact that no one will ever believe her. As she walks home, she replays the imaginary meeting in her mind, picturing Danny Casey’s shy smile and gentle green eyes. She finds solace in her fantasy, even though it has caused her pain. The story ends with her reliving the excitement of watching Danny Casey score a goal in a football match, blurring the lines between her dreams and reality.

The story is a poignant look at the escapism of a teenager who uses her imagination to cope with the bleakness of her reality.

2. Complete Textual Question and Answer Exercise

Here are the answers to all the questions given at the end of the chapter in your textbook.

Understanding the text

1. Sophie and Jansie were classmates and friends. What were the differences between them that show up in the story?
Answer: Sophie and Jansie were friends but had very different personalities:

• Dreamer vs. Realist: Sophie is a dreamer who lives in a world of fantasies. She dreams of a glamorous life as a boutique owner or an actress. Jansie, on the other hand, is practical and realistic. She knows they are destined to work in the biscuit factory and constantly tries to bring Sophie back to reality.
• Ambition vs. Contentment: Sophie is highly ambitious and wants to escape her working-class background. Jansie seems content with her lot and accepts her future without complaint.
• Secretive vs. Nosy: Sophie is secretive about her fantasies, especially her “meeting” with Danny Casey. Jansie is portrayed as “nosey,” someone who is curious and likely to spread gossip, which is why Sophie doesn’t want to share her secrets with her.

2. How would you describe the character and temperament of Sophie’s father?
Answer: Sophie’s father is portrayed as a hardworking, realistic, and pragmatic man, typical of his working-class background. He is shown as a heavy-set man who, after a hard day’s work, is more interested in watching television and going to the pub than in his daughter’s fantasies. He has an aggressive and dismissive temperament, quickly losing patience with Sophie’s “wild stories.” He warns her that she is going to “talk herself into a load of trouble.” However, he is also a football fan and shows a flicker of pride when discussing Danny Casey’s potential, revealing a softer side beneath his gruff exterior.

3. Why did Sophie like her brother Geoff more than any other person? From her perspective, what did he symbolise?
Answer: Sophie liked her brother Geoff more than anyone else because he was her only link to the world beyond her immediate reality. Geoff was an apprentice mechanic who traveled to the far side of the city for work. To Sophie, he symbolized freedom and access to an unknown, fascinating world. He was quiet and reserved, and she believed his silence held secrets of “exotic, interesting people” and places she had never been. She was jealous of his silence and longed to be a part of his life. She trusted him with her secrets, hoping that one day he would take her with him into that world.

4. What socio-economic background did Sophie belong to? What are the indicators of her family’s financial status?
Answer: Sophie belonged to a lower-middle-class or working-class socio-economic background. The indicators of her family’s financial status are:

• Their House: They live in a small, cluttered house.
• Mother’s Condition: Her mother’s back is stooped from the burden of household work, suggesting a life of hard labor without modern conveniences.
• Father’s Job: Her father is a manual laborer who comes home grimy and sweaty.
• Geoff’s Job: Her brother Geoff is an apprentice mechanic, a skilled but working-class profession.
• Jansie’s Statement: Her friend Jansie explicitly states that they are both “earmarked for the biscuit factory,” a low-paying, unskilled job.
• Lack of Money: Jansie reminds Sophie that her dreams of opening a boutique require a lot of money, which they do not have.

Working with words

Notice the following expressions. The highlighted words are not used in a literal sense. Explain what they mean.

• Words had to be prized out of him like stones out of a ground.
  Meaning: This means that it was extremely difficult to get Geoff to talk. Just as it takes a lot of effort to dig stones out of the ground, it took a lot of effort to make him speak.
• Sophie felt a tightening in her throat.
  Meaning: This means Sophie felt a sense of suffocation, anxiety, or emotional distress. The feeling was caused by the grim and cluttered reality of her home, which contrasted with her beautiful dreams.
• If he keeps his head on his shoulders.
  Meaning: This means if he remains sensible, calm, and doesn’t get carried away by fame and distractions. Sophie’s father uses this phrase to talk about Danny Casey’s future.
• On Saturday they made their weekly pilgrimage to the United.
  Meaning: This means they made their regular weekly visit to watch the United football team play. The word “pilgrimage” is used to show their devotion and dedication to the team, as if it were a sacred ritual.
• She saw… him ghost past the lumbering defenders.
  Meaning: This means she saw him move very quickly, smoothly, and silently past the slow and clumsy defenders. The word “ghost” is used to emphasize his speed and grace.

3. Previous Year AHSEC Question Answers (2015-2025)

Short Questions (2 Marks)

1. Who was Sophie? What were her dreams? (AHSEC 2015, 2018)
   Answer: Sophie was a teenage girl from a working-class family. She was a dreamer who had ambitious and unrealistic dreams of becoming a boutique owner, an actress, or a fashion designer to escape her mundane life.
2. Why did Sophie like her brother Geoff more than any other person? (AHSEC 2016, 2020)
   Answer: Sophie liked her brother Geoff more than anyone else because he was her connection to the outside world. She believed his quiet nature held secrets of a fascinating life that she longed to be a part of, and she trusted him with her own fantasies.
3. Who was Danny Casey? How did Sophie idolize him? (AHSEC 2017, 2022)
   Answer: Danny Casey was a young, talented Irish football player who played for the United team. Sophie idolized him to the point of creating elaborate fantasies about meeting him, going on a date with him, and knowing personal details about him.
4. Why didn’t Sophie want Jansie to know about her story with Danny?
   Answer: Sophie didn’t want Jansie to know about her story with Danny because she considered Jansie “nosey” and knew she would spread the story to the whole neighborhood. Sophie wanted her fantasy to be a special, secret world shared only with her brother Geoff.
5. What was the difference between Sophie and Jansie?
   Answer: The main difference was that Sophie was an unrealistic dreamer who lived in a world of fantasy, while Jansie was a practical and grounded realist. Sophie dreamed of a glamorous life, whereas Jansie accepted their shared destiny of working in a biscuit factory.

Long Questions (5-7 Marks)

1. “Going Places” is a story about adolescent fantasizing and hero-worship. Discuss. (AHSEC 2019)
   Answer: “Going Places” is a poignant exploration of adolescent fantasizing and hero-worship, centered around the protagonist, Sophie. As a teenager from a working-class background, Sophie uses her imagination as a means of escapism from her bleak reality.
   Her fantasizing is evident in her unrealistic dreams of opening a boutique, becoming an actress, or a fashion designer—professions that are far beyond her reach. These dreams are her way of “going places” in her mind, away from the life she is destined for at the biscuit factory.
   Her hero-worship is focused on the young Irish footballer, Danny Casey. He is the object of her adolescent infatuation. She doesn’t just admire him; she creates an entire fantasy world where she has met him, spoken to him, and is even scheduled to go on a date with him. This fantasy is so vivid that she begins to believe it herself. Her detailed description of their “meeting” to her brother Geoff and her solitary wait by the canal are testaments to the depth of her hero-worship.
   The story beautifully captures the teenage tendency to create elaborate daydreams and idolize celebrities as a way to cope with the frustrations and limitations of everyday life. Sophie’s fantasies, though they lead to disappointment, are also a source of solace and excitement, making her mundane life more bearable.
2. Compare and contrast the characters of Sophie and her brother Geoff.
   Answer: Sophie and her brother Geoff, though siblings, have contrasting personalities, yet they share a unique bond.
   Sophie is an outspoken dreamer, full of unrealistic ambitions and fantasies. She is imaginative and longs to escape her mundane life. She is also naive and shares her deepest secrets with her brother, hoping he will understand and validate her dreams. She represents the imaginative and aspirational side of adolescence.
   Geoff, on the other hand, is quiet, reserved, and realistic. He is an apprentice mechanic, grounded in the reality of his working-class life. He speaks little, and words have to be “prized out of him.” He is more mature and skeptical of Sophie’s wild stories, but he is not entirely dismissive. He listens to her, which is why she confides in him. He represents the more grounded and silent world of adulthood that Sophie both admires and feels excluded from.
   The contrast lies in their temperaments: Sophie is expressive and fantastical, while Geoff is taciturn and pragmatic. However, their bond is central to the story. Sophie sees Geoff as her link to a more exciting world, and despite his doubts, Geoff acts as a listener and a confidant, a role no one else in her family plays.

4. Most Important 10 Questions and Answers

1. What does Jansie’s advice, “you really should be sensible,” reveal about her character?
   Answer: Jansie’s advice reveals that she is a practical, down-to-earth, and realistic person. She understands their socio-economic limitations and accepts their likely future, unlike Sophie, who lives in a world of dreams.
2. What does Sophie’s dream of having a boutique symbolize?
   Answer: Sophie’s dream of having a boutique symbolizes her desire for a better life, financial independence, and an escape from the drudgery of her working-class background. It represents her longing for a world of glamour and sophistication.
3. Why was Sophie jealous of Geoff’s silence?
   Answer: Sophie was jealous of Geoff’s silence because she imagined that it was filled with secrets of a fascinating world she was not a part of. She believed he had a life filled with interesting people and places that he never spoke about, and she longed to be included in it.
4. Did Sophie really meet Danny Casey?
   Answer: No, Sophie did not really meet Danny Casey. The entire meeting was a product of her imagination and her intense hero-worship. Her “date” by the canal was also a fantasy that she played out in her mind.
5. How does the story show that Sophie’s father is also a fan of Danny Casey?
   Answer: Sophie’s father, while dismissive of her story, shows his admiration for Danny Casey when he reverently mentions another great footballer, Tom Finney, and says, “Casey might be that good some day.” His excitement while watching the football match also reveals his interest.
6. What is the significance of the “weekly pilgrimage” to watch the football match?
   Answer: The “weekly pilgrimage” signifies the family’s deep devotion to football and the United team. For this working-class family, football is a major source of entertainment and a weekly escape from their hard lives. The use of the word “pilgrimage” elevates the activity to a sacred ritual.
7. How does Sophie feel when she realizes Danny Casey will not come to meet her?
   Answer: She feels a deep sense of sadness and despondency. She knows she will have to carry the “burden” of this sadness and that no one will believe her now. However, she also resolves to hold her head up and cherish the memory of her imaginary encounter.
8. What is the central theme of “Going Places”?
   Answer: The central theme is adolescent fantasizing and hero-worship as a means of escapism. It explores the gap between dreams and reality and the joys and sorrows of a teenage girl’s inner world.
9. What role does Geoff play in Sophie’s life?
   Answer: Geoff plays the role of a confidant and an anchor for Sophie’s fantasies. He is the only person she shares her secrets with. Although he is skeptical, he listens to her, which encourages her to elaborate on her dreams. He is her symbolic link to the outside world she craves.
10. In the end, does Sophie’s fantasy bring her more happiness or sadness?
    Answer: Sophie’s fantasy brings her both. It brings her the sadness of disappointment when Danny Casey doesn’t show up for their “date.” However, it also brings her happiness and excitement. The act of dreaming and re-living her imaginary encounters provides a thrilling escape from her mundane reality, as seen in the final scene where she joyfully recalls Casey’s goal.