1.What impression do you form of Sophie on reading the story ‘Going Places’?
OR
Sophie has her own dreams and disappointments, but they are all her creations – the creations of her own mind. Justify the statement.
Answer:
Sophie is a young schoolgirl. She dreams of big and beautiful things. Some of these are beyond her reach or- her means. Her ambitions have no relation with the harsh realities of life. She thinks of having a boutique. She wants to have the most amazing shop the city has ever seen. Then she entertains the idea of being an actress. There’s real money in that.’ Actresses do not work full time. So she would take the boutique as a side business. If need be, she can be a fashion designer. She doesn’t realise that her family is not rich enough and her dreams can’t be fulfilled.

Sophie develops a romantic fascination for Danny Casey. He is a young Irish football player and the hero of her dreams. She indulges in hero- worship. She tells a story that she met Casey. Her father calls it another of her ‘wild stories’. Even Geoff does not believe her. He tries to caution her. Casey is a celebrity. Many girls run after him. But Sophie ignores him.

She is an incurable dreamer. She has seen Casey only once, but all the time she thinks of him. She sits alone and waits for his arrival. She becomes sad and despondent when Casey does not come. She suffers because of her dreams. These dreams and disappointments are all the creations of her mind.

2.Compare and contrast Sophie and Jansie highlighting their temperament and aspirations.
Answer:
Sophie and Jansie are class-fellows and friends. They belong to lower-middle-class families. Both of them are earmarked for biscuit factory. Janie’s feet are firmly planted on the ground. But Sophie is totally blind to the harsh realities of life. She dreams of big and beautiful things.

She wants to have a boutique. She thinks of becoming an actress as there is lot of money in this profession. If need be, she can also be a fashion designer. In short, she loves to be grand and sophisticated. All her dreams are beyond her reach and resources. Jansie advises her to be sensible, but she remains a romantic dreamer.

Sophie and Jansie differ in thinking and temperament. Sophie is lost in her dream world. She shares her secret with only one person. It is her elder brother Geoff. Jansie is ‘nosey’. She takes interest in learning new things about others. She can spread the story in the whole neighbourhood. So, Sophie doesn’t want to share secrets with her.

Sophie is an incurable dreamer and escapist. She is a hero-worshipper. She adores the young Irish footballer Danny Casey. She develops a fascination for her. She becomes sad and helpless but she doesn’t become wiser. She remains a dreamer. Jansie is practical and realistic. She has no such unrealistic dreams.

3.Describe the bond between Geoff and Sophie in spite of differences in their temperaments and thinking.
Answer:
Geoff was Sophie’s elder brother. He was three years out of school. He was an apprentice mechanic. He travelled to his work each day to the far side of the city. He was almost grown up now. He spoke very little. Sophie was jealous of Geoff’s silence. He was quiet and didn’t make new friends easily. He thought that Sophie was too young and immature. Geoff was mature enough to understand his limitations and those of his family. He never dreamt of big and beautiful things.

In spite of differences in their temperaments and thinking, there was a close bond between the two. Geoff was always the first to share Sophie’s secrets. He knew that Sophie’s story of meeting with Danny Casey was not true. Still he listened to her. Sophie confided in him. Her secret was something special just between them. It was not meant for nosey Jansie who would spread it in the whole neighbourhood. Geoff tried to persuade Sophie.

He warned her that Danny Casey was a celebrity. He must have many girls like her running after him. Sophie told him that Casey would give her an autograph if she cared to meet him next week. Geoff did not believe “he’d ever show up.” Thus, he acted like an elder brother. Geoff and Sophie share a common trait. It is their fascination for the Irish prodigy, Danny Casey. But they differ in their thinking. Like his father, Geoff wished Casey to be a great footballer one day. Sophie had romantic fascination for Casey. It was something else other than football.

4.Who was Danny Casey? How was he adored by the family of Sophie, and specially by Sophie and her father?
Answer:
Danny Casey was an Irish prodigy. He was a wonderboy of football. He had won the hearts of his countless fans. He played for United. Sophie’s family was obsessed with the Irish genius. Sophie’s father compared young Danny Casey to another great football player Tom Finney. He wished that Casey might be that good someday. He knew there were a lot of distractions for a youngster in the game those days.

He wished that Casey would keep his head on his shoulders. Geoff remarked that he was with the best team in the country. He hoped that Casey would prove even a better player than Tom Finney. Geoff considered him the best. His father thought that he was too young for the first team. The fact was that with his exceptional ability he was playing for the first eleven. On Saturday, Sophie’s family made their weekly pilgrimage to the stadium to watch United play their match. They watched their hero Danny Casey in action.

He was running, going round the two big defenders. Then he was on the edge of the penalty area. Sophie’s father was screaming for him to pass. They saw him beating the hesitant goalkeeper from a dozen yards. He scored the second goal. United won two-nil.

Sophie glowed with pride. Geoff was ecstatic. Someone wished he were an Englishman. Little Derek declared that Ireland would win the World Cup. Their father went to the pub to celebrate. Sophie adored Danny Casey. She had a romantic fascination for the Irish prodigy. Her young heart throbbed for her hero. She imagined Casey coming to her.

She would sit under an elm tree, waiting for Casey and dreaming of him. She realised that he would not come. This made her sad and dejected. Sophie became a victim of her own dreams and disappointments.