This story is about a teenage girl named Sophie who constantly dreams and fantasizes about her future. She imagines becoming a fashion designer or actress and being successful. She is fascinated by Danny Casey, a young Irish footballer who plays for the local club. While Sophie spends a lot of time lost in her dreams and fantasies, her practical friend Jansie and brother Geoff see that their economic realities will likely limit their opportunities. The story explores Sophie's fantasies and desires for escape from her everyday life as she dreams of "going places."

1. Presented by Jude Joseph
PGT English
KVS Mumbai

2. • It presents the perceptions, dreams and
desires of an adolescent girl.
• The readers get a glimpse in the life of the
protagonist, Sophie.
• Her relationship with her friends and family,
her socio-economic position and her
dreams and fantasies.

3. • It deals with themes of adolescence,
escapism, hero worship and fantasizing
• This story beautifully portrays the subtle
intermingling of various emotions that one
encounters in the giddy phase of life that
is teenage.

4. • “Going Places” is an idiomatic phrase
which refers to a promising young
person’s likelihood of becoming
successful and famous (e.g. ” She’s
going places ” meaning she is going
to be successful).

6. • born 11 February 1930
• an English fashion
designer and fashion icon
• is of Welsh heritage.
• was one of the designers
who took credit for the
miniskirt and hotpants
• She became an
instrumental figure in the
1960s London-based Mod
and youth fashion
movements.

7. Sir Thomas Finney (1922 – 2014) was
an English footballer who played from
1946 to 1960

8. • Sophie
• Jansie - Sophie's friend; Frank - Jansie's brother
• Sophie's father & mother
• Danny Casey - an Irish prodigy, playing for
the English club United
• Sophie's brothers
– Geoff - an apprentice mechanic
– Derek - the little one

9. • Sophie, the protagonist of the story is
always imagining of ‘going places ‘ –
and it is from
this point of reference that we can
understand her nature and the reason why
she acts the way she does.

10. • She wishes to -
– open a boutique
– become a manager
– become an actress
– become a fashion designer
(Sophie comes across as impractical & a dreamer)
But, her practical friend, Jansie knows that they
are both destined to work in biscuit factory.

11. • An apprentice mechanic.
• He is quiet; man of very few words .
• He didn't make friends easily.
• He was more patient with his sister.
• He's a fan of footballer Danny Casey, along with
his family.
• Watches United's matches every weekend with
his friends.
• Sophie is fascinated by his life & wants to be a
part of it.

12. • A young emerging Irish footballer - a prodigy
• Plays for United
• Very popular; a hearthrob. Geoff thinks he must
be having a string of girls.
• Scored the 2nd goal against opponents as his
team defeated them 2-0.
• Danny Casey “..a blend of innocence & Irish
genius.”

13. • Sophie's Father is a dominant character.
• is strong, sweaty and hardworking.
• loves to watch football matches.
• does not believe in Sophie’s imaginary stories.
• Sophie is scared of her father.
• Sophie's mother is quiet & submissive.
• She doesn't have any dialogues in the story.
• She doesn't join her family for the weekend
football matches.

14. • has the tendency to romanticize about the
future.
• is indecisive about her career
• belongs to a lower middle class family
• lives in a small, cluttered house
• economic condition is not sound

15. • her constant fantasizing of things therefore
isn’t only a means of deriving pleasure but
is also
.
• her hero worship is also a means of
escapism.
• The realistic & practical Geoff & even
Jansie are set as a foil to Sophie

16. • Sophie dreams of a “world waiting for her”
and a world rising to greet her. She is still
obsessed with the idea of going places.
• It isn’t Danny Casey the person who interests
her. It is the idea of Danny Casey which has
captured her imagination. This is because
Danny, the football prodigy, is definitely ‘going
places’.
• Sophie wants to go places and Danny
becomes a figure on whom she can project
her desire.

17. • Sophie’s fantasizing is a naive and
harmless activity so long as it doesn’t
distort her perception of the real world.
• However, there are times when she her
imagination completely takes over her.

18. • Going Places explores the different realms of
expectation, fantasy, desire and perception of an
adolescent.
• In all probability, Sophie never met Casey.
• Her temperament as seen in her interaction with
Jansie, her visit to the park and Danny’s
absence - all point towards the fact that her
interaction with Danny on Royce’s window also
never happened, except in her head.