A condensed summary of Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter 8, “Going Places” by A. R. Barton, for last-minute revision: plot at a glance, character sketches, the real-or-imagined ending, theme, key quotes and all definitions in one place. The full notes are available separately for detailed reading.
1 Plot at a Glance
After schoolSophie tells Jansie she will have a boutique one day; Jansie, knowing they are both “earmarked for the biscuit factory”, becomes melancholy
That eveningSophie finds Geoff with his motorcycle and tells him, “I met Danny Casey”
Same eveningTheir father is openly disdainful of the story
Later, in Geoff’s roomSophie gives the full account: an autograph promise for next week
SaturdayThe family watches United win 2-0; Casey scores the second goal
The following weekJansie confronts Sophie, having heard the story via Geoff and “our Frank”
After darkSophie waits alone by the canal for Danny Casey, who does not come
Walking homeShe pictures the arcade meeting again; the replay moves into the second person (“you”)
Closing linesBack in the third person, “she saw it all again, last Saturday”: Casey’s goal. The story never confirms whether the meeting happened
2 Characters at a Glance
| Character | Who they are |
|---|---|
| Sophie | Schoolgirl and dreamer; escapes her ordinary future through daydreams (boutique, motorcycle ride, Danny Casey) |
| Jansie | Sophie’s friend and classmate; practical and realistic, but loyal once trusted |
| Geoff | Sophie’s older brother, an apprentice mechanic; extremely reserved, sceptical but protective |
| Sophie’s father | Tired working man, openly disdainful of Sophie’s story, yet has his own small borrowed football fame (a man who knew Tom Finney) |
| Danny Casey | Young Irish footballer for “United”; exists in the story mainly through Sophie’s account and imagination |
3 Is the Meeting Real, or Imagined?
Evidence it may be imagined
- The arcade replay is introduced as “she pictured him again”
- The narration shifts to second person (“you”) only for this replay
- New physical details of Casey appear only in this private replay
Evidence it could be real
- The story never states she invented it
- Her account is consistent in its small, unglamorous details
- Even sceptical Geoff never proves her wrong
4 Theme and Sub-Theme
Learn by heartDefinition
Theme: Adolescent hero-worship and fantasising.
Sub-theme: Relationships-family, friends.
“His eyes are on the same level as your own.”
The line that marks the story’s shift into the second person
5 Key Facts Worth Memorising
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Author | A. R. Barton, lives in Zurich, writes in English |
| Setting | An ordinary working-class family in a city (the book never names it) |
| Football club | Named only as “United” |
| Match result | United 2, opponents 0; Casey scores the second |
| Real footballer named | Tom Finney (the father’s own, fainter football story) |
| Narrative voice shift | Third person, then first person (canal), then second person (arcade replay), then third person again for the closing lines (Saturday’s goal) |
6 Language Points
| Point | What to remember |
|---|---|
| Present participles | Used without a helping verb to show two actions at once (“coming,” “linking,” “staring”) |
| Metaphorical expressions | “Prized out like stones,” “tightening in her throat,” “weekly pilgrimage,” “ghost past” |
| Colloquial words | Chuffed (delighted), nosey (inquisitive), gawky (awkward) |
All definitions in one place
Hero-worshipTreating a public figure as more glamorous or accessible than they really are
Narrative voice shiftA change in the “person” (third/first/second) a story is told from
SymbolismAn object or image standing for a larger idea; the book asks what Geoff symbolised for Sophie (the motorcycle as freedom is a possible reading, not in the NCERT text)
ProdigyA young person with exceptional talent
IncongruityA lack of harmony between two things, e.g. the delicate bow and the crooked back
Quick Revision: read this the night before the exam
- Sophie dreams big (boutique, actress, fashion designer) while Jansie, knowing they are “earmarked for the biscuit factory”, tells her to be sensible
- She tells Geoff she met footballer Danny Casey, who promised her a second meeting with an autograph
- Her father disbelieves her; Geoff doubts her too but keeps the promised-meeting detail secret
- United win the Saturday match 2-0, Casey scoring the second goal
- Sophie waits alone by the canal for Casey, who never comes
- The arcade replay is in the second person, but the story closes with Sophie reliving Saturday’s goal in the third person; it never confirms the meeting
- Theme: adolescent hero-worship and fantasising; Sub-theme: relationships-family, friends
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