On Pale Green Walls

1300 Words6 Pages
Clare Wigfall, "On Pale Green Walls", 1997________________________________________ This is a story about how children’s curiosity can be misunderstood and how these misunderstandings can lead to frustrations. A child needs attention and understanding and this story tells us what happens when this lacks in the relationship between parents and their child. “On Pale Green Walls” is a short story written by Clare Wigfalls. In the story we meet Violet, who tells the story from her childhood were she was a little girl. We also meet her parents who are very religious. It is Christmas and the family is on their way to the church. We follow Violet and her parents. The story begins in the church, it is here where we witness the big change in Violets life – it is here she notice the picture of a beautiful woman in a blue dress. It’s a picture of Virgin Mary, but she doesn´t know that after that she adores this women and she sees her everywhere - “You know how it is when you learn a new word and then you begin to hear it all the time? It was like that with her. I started to see her everywhere I went.” (L. 36-37). After that we are in Violets and her parents’ home. Here the father reads the newspaper while Violets is laying on the floor drawing. She sees a picture of the women on the newspaper, but now she is holding a baby. - “But something was different. In her arms she held a baby. When the father leaves the living room, she takes the newspaper and stab the baby in the eyes and draws blood. That shocks the parents. Then the story end up in chaos back in the church, where Violets mother have taken her to talk to the priest. The main theme is Jealousy. In upbringing it is very important that the child fells loved. Violet wants to be head and have an opinion even though she is mute and that her mother doesn´t understand. The parents misunderstood her because off the
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