Question

What does Sophie dream of doing after she passes out of school? Why do you call it a dream and not a plan?

Answer 1

Hint: A.R. Barton's novel Going Places is about imagination and dreams. Teenage years are a time when fantasies are distant from reality. It's all about goals and achieving the seemingly unattainable. In this day and age, we have a hero to idolise and look up to. The story's major backdrop is this reality.

Complete answer:
Sophie is an adolescent from a middle-class household who aspires to be a manager, an actor, or a fashion designer. She also wants to open a shop, but she doesn't have the financial means or the necessary qualifications. Her father desires that she work in the biscuit factory. Sophie's close buddy is pragmatic, telling her that working hard and earning money will help her accomplish her goals. Sophie's narrative takes an unexpected turn when she fantasises about meeting Danny Casey, a famous footballer. In front of her brother, she also fabricates a narrative about Casey coming to meet her on a specific day, as per a commitment he made to her.

Sophie aspires to open her own shop. It'll be the most incredible store the city has ever seen. She claims that if she ever makes enough money, she will own a shop. She is open to becoming an actor in order to manage a shop as a sideline. It's considered a 'dream' rather than a 'plan' because she doesn't have any money or expertise.

Note: 'To go places' is an idiomatic term that means 'to succeed in one's career.' The lesson is about Sophie's wish and fantasy of rising beyond the grind of being a member of the lower social strata and going somewhere. Sophie's fantasies also take her to different places.