Each story in turn uses pathetic fallacy to set the scene; whilst concurrently telling the reader the mood, each of the four stories uses it differently. In Growing Up, the wild natural garden was used to symbolize the mood of Mr. and Mrs. Quick’s Children, Mr. Quick was proud of this until the attitudes of his wild children got to much for him, Flight used a similar if not the same technique but opposite by making the setting a calm peaceful haven of beauty. Having the setting as this described the mood perfectly however all of the four stories try to give the reader a realization that growing up can prove to be hard as adult life is completely different to the close to fairytale life most people experience as a child.
Each of the four short stories uses extended metaphors to convey certain messages. Growing up uses the setting of the garden to make an image of the moods and attitudes of his two children and the author uses the same words to describe both the children and the wild garden. Words like “wilderness” are used to describe both the garden and the children. Mr. Quick neglected his garden much in the way he neglected his children and then was shocked by their attitude. “Neither Quick’s cared for the garden, a hobby which bored them both” this shows how they neglected the garden whilst also representing the negligence of the children through the image of the garden. However Mr. Quick was proud of the fact that he had neglected his garden and metaphorically proud that he had neglected his children, but when he realises that his children have changed in his absence, he is quite shocked at the change in their behavior.
Flight has much in common with Growing up, in that it uses the natural surroundings to describe the children’s moods and behavior patterns. There is still anger and hostility present in this short story, except it is not being released from the children but in this instance from the adult figure in the story. The characters of the story, Alice and Steven are very much in love and live in what appears to be perfect harmony. The first paragraphs describe and show us the love that Alice has for Steven through an extended metaphor. The method by which the description of the children’s moods is portrayed is the same as the love between Alice and Steven - nature. The overall setting is lovely and warm - perhaps even a haven. The pigeon that the Grandfather has is a homing pigeon, which he loves very much and which symbolizes his Granddaughter whom he also loves and always expects to return back to him. Throughout the story it is clear that the Grandfather’s strong love for his granddaughter caused him much pain and suffering, however when she grows up and he sees her waiting for her boyfriend, he is upset and shocked that she has changed, which can also be related to what happened to Mr. Quick in Growing Up.
Superman and Paula Brown’s new snowsuit is very similar to the others but is written in first person, however the overriding issue is about the Child’s loss of faith. This is just like how the Dad and Granddad from Flight and Growing Up lose some sort of faith in the daughters and granddaughters. The extended metaphor that Superman and Paula Brown’s new snowsuit uses is that of the War. The family is being wrongly persecuted by the neighbors over Paula’s coat and while it has nothing to do with the neighbors, they pass on the information in an accusatory manner, as in Nazi Germany where different minority sectors were persecuted along with the Jews. The author tells us about her flying dreams and compares her dreams to Dali paintings. Superman, who resembles Uncle Frank, teaches her to fly. We know this is wonderful for her, as she worships Superman. Superman is used as a metaphor about Paula’s childhood innocence from her past; superman is a superhero and is all things good just like Paula’s past was. The change in this story happens when Paula receives her new snowsuit and things make a turn for the negative. Once this happens the positive aspects from previous parts of the story are lost and all that is left are negative aspects similar to the other two stories in which the good things such as the love Alice and Steven share, turns bad in granddad’s perspective. This story unlike the others is personal to the author, as it is written in first person however it still involves change and growing up.
“Your shoes” was the last story out of the choice of five that I chose to compare. Again, it was written in a first person role like Superman and Paula Brown’s new snowsuit. As with the other three, change plays a huge role in the story. All four stories deal with how loss of innocence leads to change and how sometimes the changes or the evolution can be for the worst - in each of the four stories there is someone who views it as bad. Whilst in all four stories Growing up is seen as a negative thing, they all show it in various ways but at the same time they portray the same message. The way in which the stories differentiate is the methods the authors use to convey their points. In growing up, change comes from the children and it affects Mr. Quick, the Dad. He is upset and shocked to see the two girls changing and behaving the way they did. In flight, change comes from the granddad when he sees how his granddaughter is acting towards the new love, since the granddad was hurt in that past and wanted to protect his granddaughter Alice from suffering the same fate. The change in Your Shoes is the situation; the child leaves home and chooses to leave his mother horrified that he has gone and the fact that she is horrified at what could happen. The change in Superman and Paula Brown’s new snowsuit happens when Paula gets her snowsuit and things turn negative.
In conclusion, all the stories show change and catharsis’ to be bad. Each story tells the reader from a different person’s perspective. The stories are told from different perspectives but also written in different ways. Growing Up and Flight are told in the third person whist Your Shoes and Superman and Paula Brown’s new snowsuit are in first person. Each story uses different family affairs or other affairs - Growing Up uses neglected children, Superman and Paula Brown’s new snowsuit uses war as a metaphor, Flight uses granddad’s overprotection and Your Shoes uses a boy leaving home. However they all have the same overriding message through the course of the story - change is bad. All of the stories show examples of change and how each different example has been shown to be bad to each person.
