Opening Worlds - Task 4

Look carefully at the extract describing Bolan in the fountain and beneath the parrots in the tree.Compare how Bolan and one other character from another short story of your choice seek happiness, and assess how successful they are.

"a joyful secret"
In many of the Opening world short stories the main protagonist seek to pursue happiness and whereas in The Red Ball Bolan finds his happiness when in Woodford Square.In Games at Twilight, Ravi finds his brief moment of happiness whilst hiding in the shed but then comes crashing back down to the reality of being an outcast.

Bolan begins the story as a pariah when moving from the comforts of "the sugar-cane fields " of Tunapuna to living in The Port of Spain.He seeks comfort in Woodford Square and in particular the fountain there.That was the "only place...where people weren't chasing him down".Whereas at home he was forever being bullied by his father.

Similarly, Ravi manges to find comfort in the "dark,spooky" shed.Once in his little haven he "shivered with delight" at this great achievement of his.Like Bolan, Ravi has found a place of his OWN where he can be left "unconquered".

However, Bolan feels at home in Woodford Square and come whenever he likes to see the fountain.In the presence of the fountain "he felt as though he were back in Tunapuna". Being a pariah in his new society he has found a place where he feels is like home and is equivalent to his beloved Tunapuna.

On the other hand, outside his private cocoon Ravi is 'conquered'.Instead of coming out with a feeling of pride and happiness "the ignominy of being forgotten" by his siblings makes him feel the opposite.Instead of having a heart filled with confidence and pride he feels unwanted,forgotten and "insignificant".

In The Winter Oak, Savushkin similar to Bolan finds happiness in The "majestic..Oak".Both these characters are successful in finding happiness despite being pariahs in their societies.However, Ravi doesn't quite achieve his happiness and instead is "silenced by a terrible sense of his insignificance".