- Where did Fielding and Kingshaw first meet? P173
- Why did Kingshaw think something would happen to him? P174
- What first difference is there between the two boys?
- Twice on these pages Kingshaw feels something about Fielding’s knowledge about him – how does he describe it? P174-5
- How does Kingshaw describe Warings?
- How does show that he is ignorant of country things?
- How do Kingshaw and Fielding act like normal boys? P176
- How does Fielding take charge?
- What immediate difference comes to mind about the way that he takes charge and the way that Hooper would have? P176-7
- What does Kingshaw mean when he says he was mesmerised?
- What emotion does Kingshaw feel about the birth of the calf? P178
- How does Fielding show his sensitivity to Kingshaw’s feelings about the turkeys at Christmas?
- Why does Kingshaw feel numb?
- What differences are there between Kingshaw and Fielding’s mothers? P179
- Kingshaw confides in Fielding about Hooper – what simple answer does he give him? P180
- How does Fielding feel about Kingshaw having been in Hang Wood?
- Although he tries Kingshaw is unable to make Fielding understand his horror of Hooper. What kinds of things does Fielding say to Kingshaw? P181
- What does he have difficulty conveying to Fielding?
- How does Kingshaw feel physically about Hooper’s impending return from hospital
- Kingshaw tell Fielding about having to go to Hooper’s school. Why hasn’t he told him before? P182
- What word does Fielding use to describe Kingshaw’s attitude?
- What false hope does Fielding offer Kingshaw? P183
- How does Kingshaw feel about his relationship with Fielding?
- How does Kingshaw react when his mother tells him she has invited Fielding to tea? P210-211
- Why does he react this way?
- What similarity is there between Hooper and Kingshaw’s attitude to things at this point?
- What is the significance of, ‘So that was the last thing.’?
- How does Fielding show concern for Kingshaw on this page? P215
- Why didn’t Kingshaw go?
- How does Fielding feel about Kingshaw’s reluctance to go with them?
- How do you think Fielding would have felt after hearing about Kingshaw’s suicide?
- Do you think he might have been able to prevent it?
Compare and contrast Fielding
Compare and contrast Fielding’s home and mother to Warings and Kingshaw’s own mother.
- Fielding’s relationship with his own mother is much more relaxed.
- Here ease, her clothing, her demeanour.
- Not fussy, accepting, not worried by the hamster’s mess.
- Farmyard smells and ‘dirt’, live animals – fecund! Noisy.
- Warings, oppressive, silent, old, dead.
- Mrs K fussy, outwardly caring but inwardly selfish.
- Appearances count, no depth of feeling
- Mrs K short skirts, dangly earrings
Compare and contrast Fielding with Hooper
Fielding:
- Extravert
- Open
- Carefree
- Sensitive
- Generous
- Sharing
- Matter-of-fact
- Has knowledge but shares it
- Talkative
- Natural
Hooper:
- Closed
- Nosey
- Introvert
- Vicious
- Greedy
- Cunning
- Manipulative
- Uses knowledge as a weapon
- Uses advantages
- Bossy
- Controlling
- liar
Explain why Fielding becomes so important to Kingshaw
- he shows how normal people are and shows K that is another way of living and being
- his easy acceptance of Charles, not pushing, not invasive.
- gives K hope that things could even will be different
- only Charles knows Fielding so he acts as an anchor outside the grimness of Warings and Hooper; his port in a storm
- Gives K hope about his new school
- Becomes a role model for Kingshaw’s behaviour.
Why do we as readers feel that Fielding’s friendship with Kingshaw could make all the difference to Charles
- Hill points up the difference between the way of life at Warings and the Fielding’s.
- We see Kingshaw finally talk to someone about his situation and although he doesn’t really understand he gives practical advice and we feel that if only Charles heeded it …
- We are shown Kingshaw’s realisation that things could be different as he processes the idea
- Hill portrays Fielding as rational, product of a normal family and situation and we realise the others aren’t really.
Could Fielding have done anything to change the outcome of the story.
- Probably not; he didn’t truly understand
- Didn’t take K entirely seriously
- Thought K should stand up for himself; quite scornful of K’s weakness but k doesn’t take it as criticism just wisdom.
- Who’d listen to an outsider anyway?
- In his world view K’s suicide would be incomprehensible.
Explain why Kingshaw is so upset when Fielding is invited over for tea.
- K feels he’s ‘lost’ his friend.
- K has lost this battle because Fielding will never fight
- Also feels he’s lost the only thing that was really his
- He sees Fielding trying to mediate between the two and realises he will never judge either him or Hooper; feels humiliated
- He’s appalled at his mother’s insensitivity
- He wanted to keep Fielding and Warings separate as his refuge.