Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Compass and Torch
Characters
- BOY
- Optimistic
- "the boy, though is not
looking that way" [4]
- Ignoring the
end and the
problems
- Determined
to know and
accept dad
anyways
- May be not aware
of the problems
- He is focused
on what he has
to do then
worrying about
the future and
past
- He is hopeful
- Stereotypical
- "Jim's kindness and
affirmation. But Jim
is not his Dad." [35]
- He knows what a dad should be like
- Jim is 'not' his dad because he is not manly
- Wants dad to be 'strong' and have 'correct judgement
- That is why watching dad so closely to check if he is actually the right Dad.
- May also show his disappointment, as if concealing himself
- he wanted him to be dad, but he is 'not'
- shows he is understanding and
knows that dad could be gentle as well
- Still unaware
- "Watching what dad is.
Drinking it in - the
essence of Dadness." [8]
- He is still not
aware of what
the
relationship
should be like
- Wants to know
what Dad is like
and how their
relationship
should be
- May be
preparing himself
for the way he
would talk and
walk with him
- he is trying to find
out connections.
- Has the desire to reunite
- Suspicious whether he is the right Dad
- Trying to find bad qualities
that maybe his mom would
have told him about.
- Desperate
- "Its OK, the boy decided,
that his dad han't looked at
the torch and hasn't studied
or handled like Jim" [50]
- He is
encouraging
and
forgiving
- Tries to
ignore
bad
qualities
- Desperate
about Dad,
doesn't want to
lose him at all
- Pressure
- "this moment which he had
looked forward to, longer
for, as his moment of joy,
was a moment of
unhappiness for her." [113]
- he has
sympathy for
mom but
desperate for
dad
- both feelings
on after
another shows
confusion of
mind
- making him
feel terrible
as he has to
be disloyal to
one of them
- Shows how his
mother's
feelings I
always
influencing him
- DAD
- Good Father
- "the man judged correctly" [14]
"parks the car gently, gets out
smartly" [39]
- Pessimistic
figure for mum as
divorced parents
- Positive qualities
as father - boys
point of view
- Comparison with
Jim's kindness
and affirmation
- Shown weak
- "the way his dad said,
'Hi, there!' in that brittle,
jovial way to Jim." [105]
- He has low
self-esteem in front of
Jim, lost importance
- "brittle" weak
and incapable,
foreshadows
failure of
relationship at
the end
- "Jovial" hiding
broke heart with
cheer
- He is ready to
have his pain
for happiness
of family
- No sympathy for
reuniting, fear
breaking their heart
- If weak then mom
won't allow with boy,
does not want to lose
chance
- Desire to
reunite
- "the man looks up - for
the first time - at the
path they will take" [89]
- desire to
reunite,
trying to
find way
- 'first time' he fears to see the
path, so reluctant to look
- 'will' uncertainty, does not
know how to develop
relation, holds him back
- Positive effort
- "'Come on"' says the
man, all briskness
now, and holds the
door back for the boy
to get out of the car."
[55]
- 'briskness'
(quickness) shows he
is boosting himself
- trying not to
disappoint
him
- May be
wants to
get over
with this
- helps to get out of car
- starts to fulfil
duty of father
- wanting to rake him
out of shelter and
safety of 'car'(mom)
- He wants to
direct him the
path as a father
into the future,
opening 'door'
for him
- Strong from inside
- because he take son
'pain' and decides to leave
the boy as he is incapable
- "he has lost his child" [168] he has been unable to
fulfil his expectation and unable to be a goof father
- "could only half-listen to his child's earnest voice"
[169] feels he is unable to understand him
- "gently takes torch away" [171] taking away source and
hope of light for finding way, without torch darkness so
no way for future relationship
- MOM
- Dominating
- "You wouldn't expect
him to start now,
would you?" [25]
- always questions;
the structure leaves
dad without answer
- discourage and
embarrass him; so
he cancels plans
- She is influencing other's decision
- Use of 'you' makes it
appear more like
authority than question
- Caring and careful
- "Her voice was low and light" [ 21]
"Suddenly a kind of snarl" [25]
- should have said
with authority
- 'light and low'
still care and
emotions in her
- does not
want to hurt
him perhaps
- 'snarl' picturise her
growling with bare
teeth
- wants to get
her inner
anger on him
- She does not
want her
emotions to make
herself weak
- maybe 'suddenly' her memories of pain stops
her from showing that care in 'low and light'
voice
- Guilty
and
ashamed
- "he saw her start with alarm and shame"
- 'start' implies she
suddenly stopped
with fright of boy
coming
- shows secrecy
of hiding things
from boy
- so that boy
is not
against his
father; wants
him to go
and reunite
- 'alarm' she
knows she has
to be cautious
about what she
is doing
- But sill can't control
- shows how
devastated
she is and how
much pain she
is concealing
- 'shame'
she is guilty
of crossing
limits
- she knows she is wrong
- she stops as
boy would think
her to be rude
and evil; fears
losing son
- Pessimistic
- "No Hope of
him trying to
RELATE to
his him"
[101]
- 'full stop'
determined that
she will not change
the relationship
- maybe past
pain made her
stubborn and
negative
- her stubbornness
but temptation to
reunite from inside
leaves her
disorientated
- Disorientated
- "The light seeping
through her fuzzy hair"
[30]
- She is
fading; losing
her control
- 'fuzzy hair' she
is chaotic and
disorientated
- leads to the ideas of compass
which is used to orientate
yourself, but she is disorientated,
so does not know which way to
take the relationship
- JIM
- Competitive figure
- "Jim's kindness and
affirmation" [ 35]
- different approach of
getting place as dad
- 'kindness' lack of
experience as dad, not
bold
- better at dealing
with kids
- unconfirmed
place
- "But Jim
is not his
dad" [ 36]
- No from boy;
compares with
dad's strength
- Maybe yes,
disappointed
he is not his
father, trying
to consolidate
himself
- No clue from
mother; don't
really talk
- use of Jim;
not place of
dad yet
- Dignity
- "the way dad
said in that
brittle, jovial
way to Jim
and the way
Jim dropped
his eyes" [105]
- dad is
subordinate
- he feels Jim has
more importance
now
- 'dropped his
eyes' to show
his annoyance
- may Jim has low self-esteem
- Understandable
- "as is
understood
all there
was to
understand
about dad,
and didn't
want to
embarrass
him" [105]
- 'dropped his eyes' before this;
feels dad has more importance
- So does so speak much,
avoid being at fault
- doesn't say much, not
to embarrass dad
- he understands
dad situation
- hence he is trying to be
nice but at the same time
trying to keep his place
- Bitter
- "shifting at the
kitchen table
with an unhappy
kind of rustle"
[23]
- 'rustle' low whispers;
filling mom's ears
- 'unhappy' about
dad joining;
breaking the family
- 'unhappy'
about the way
mom treats dad