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Summary of Going Places - A.R. Barton

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GOING PLACES
                       – A.R. Barton

Future plans of Sophie
Sophie and her friend Jansie are two friends, about to complete school. They belong to working-class households. One day, on their way back home, Sophie expresses her desire to open a boutique or to become an actress or a fashion designer. She wishes to rise above her middle class status and to obtain sophistication. Jansie, however, being more realistic, shuns her friend’s ambitions. This is because Jansie is aware of the fact that they have been ‘earmarked’ for the biscuit factory.
Sophie’s family and its opinion of her dreams
Sophie lives in a small house with her parents and two brothers, Geoff and Derek. Her parents are not pleased to hear her unrealistic career goals. Her father feels that a decent house of their own is what they need and not fantastical dreams about owning sophisticated things.
Sophie’s admiration for Geoff
Geoff is Sophie’s elder brother. He is a handsome young boy working as an apprentice mechanic in a garage, situated far away from their house. He is an introvert and does not speak much. Sophie envies her brother’s silence as she thinks that he has access to a world which she never got a chance to visit. She longs to be a part of her brother’s world. Sophie shares all her secrets with her brother.
Sophie’s story of her encounter with Danny Casey
One day, Geoff is engrossed with a part of his motor cycle. Sophie, probably in an attempt to gain his attention, tells a story about accidentally meeting Danny Casey at the Royce’s. Geoff refuses to believe her. Sophie then describes his physical appearance to make Geoff believe in what she said.  She tells her brother that she was also willing to get an autograph for little Derek, but she did not have a pen or paper for the same. Then, Sophie claims, the two of them discussed about the clothes at Royce’s. She ends her story by telling her brother that Danny has promised to meet her again. Despite all her attempts, Geoff refuses to believe her story and tells about it to the family.
Sophie watches Danny play at the football match
On Saturday, the family goes to watch Casey play for the United team. Sophie and her little brother sit with their father near the goal while Geoff goes to sit with his friends in the higher rows. Sophie and Geoff feel elated at the victory of United at the hands of Danny Casey. This is the only instance in the story where Sophie has a look at Danny Casey in the real world.
Jansie interrogates Sophie about the encounter with Danny
Soon Jansie comes to know about Sophie’s alleged romantic encounter with Casey. Sophie doesn’t like the fact that Geoff betrayed her secret to others. She feels embarrassed and fears that Jansie will tell the story to others too. But, she feels relieved when she finds out that Jansie is not aware of her second ‘date’. Consequently, Sophie tones down her story into a casual incident for Jansie.
Sophie’s belief
Sophie decides to fulfill her ‘date’ with Danny Casey and goes to wait for him at her favourite spot along the canal. Furthermore, she imagines Danny coming to meet her on his bike and her own excitement on meeting him. However, after waiting for some time, she starts struggling between her dream and reality. Sophie feels sad and miserable at the thought of having to face the disappointment of her family because they may lose faith in her stories. Although she is pained by her dream, she is not willing to give it up and accept the reality.
Sophie’s fantasy wins over the reality
While walking sadly towards her home, Sophie notices her father’s bicycle parked outside the pub. She is overjoyed as she does not need to rush back home. Consequently, she again withdraws to her fantastic world and imagines meeting Danny Casey once again at the Royce’s. She imagines herself telling Danny about his fans in her family. Then she imagines asking him for an autograph once again. But this time too, she fails to get one. She feels her affinity to him in her imagination and is fascinated to think of his existence as a human similar to, but of a different capability than, her. Eventually, she loses herself in the memories of the match where she had for once seen him in actuality.
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