I choose the novel 'Step by Wicked Step", authored by Anne Fine. The novel tells the story about 5 schoolchildren, namely Claudia, Pixie, Colin, Robbo and Ralph who came from dysfunctional families were separated from their friends while on a schooltrip and find themselves in an old house on a stormy night. They discovered an old diary which belonged to a boy named Richard Harwick. After reading Richard's diary about his broken family, the children share their stories about their family too. I am going to compare and contrast Richard and Colin. There are similarities and differences which can be observed clearly throughout the novel.
Firstly, Richard and Colin displayed their affections for their father. They miss their father very much and the loss of a fatherly figure at a tender age has made them deeply upset. The difference is, Richard lost his father forever because he passed away due to a sickness. 'I sit by my father's grave and run my fingers over the letters of his name cut deep in stone.' His father's place was quickly replaced by Reverend Coldstone and Richard's life became miserable. '...I will go mad and scramble to my feet and tell him all the things that have gone wrong since he was taken away from us.' Meanwhile, Colin might still have the chance of seeing his father again and he is determined to do so. The boy remembered the exact date when he left. 'Five years, eight months and seven days." Colin lost his father because his mother moved away without his father's knowledge. "It took me ages to realise he wan't following... He couldn't. Mum Hadn't left him any clues.'
Next, Colin and Richard were both ignored by their mothers. Their mothers were too distracted to pay any attention to their cries. Neither of them received the tender, love and care they deserved while they were still emotional over the absence of their fathers. '...sometimes I (Colin) get the feeling that Mum thinks things that are happening to both of us are only really happening to her. As if how I feel doesn't matter quite so much.' Richard's mother Lilith did not defend him when Reverend Coldstone ill-treated him. She did not defend her children against Coldstone's insults and turned a blind eye when Coldstone sent Richard to Mordanger School where he was bullied. 'All that my mother did was lower her eyes, or look away...' In Colin's case, his mother did not bother to know how much he missed his father because she was too busy working at the canteen and doing household chores. 'She was always too busy to listen to anything I said.'
Thirdly, the emotional impact on Richard and Colin made them believe that running away can solve their problems. Both of them decided that running away will make things work. '...you just have to keep going to reach the happy ending.' The difference between the two characters begins with thier reason for running away. Richard, who thinks that he is the black sheep in the family ran away from home with the hope that he would make life more pleasant for everyone. 'Perhaps you would all live out your fairy tale more happily without the black clouds I bring!' With hindsight, Richard realises that he should not have ran away from home. His absence only made his family problems worse. On the other hand, Colin plans to run away to find his father. 'As soon as I'm tall enough, I'm off.' Colin does three paper rounds to save money to search for his father. 'You see, I'm saving up now. I even do three paper rounds.'
As a conclusion, the two characters suffered much pain and sorrow when their fathers disappeard from their lives. No one cares about them or knows how they felt. Both of them were deprived of people who could advise and comfort them, thus prompting their decision to leave home. From their actions, we can see that running away does not solve any problems, in fact it can affect the people around us. So, we need to think wisely before making a serious decision in life.
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