Step-By-Wicked Step

Themes 1. The importance of preserving the family unit This is the central message in the novel. The family institution is a solemn entity. It is created when two adults decide to tie the knot through their marriage vows. Hence, parents are mainly responsible in keeping the family unit intact through love and understanding because divorce and separation can only lead to ugly consequences as clearly shown in the novel. The family institution should also provide security to children. However, when it is broken, children feel helpless and they feel they are victims of the situation. The novel reveals how the five children cope with difficult times when their parents marriage fails. Claudia and Pixie for example, have to undergo emotionally painful and tumultuous moments to get used to their parents divorce. The ugly effects of divorce and separations are also shown in the way Claudia and Pixie resist their step parents and siblings. The quarrels, the screaming, the sibling rivalry demonstrate that the harmony that is central in their families has long gone. Children suffer most from broken homes and they need a lot of time to adapt to their new situation. This is true in the case of Pixie, who needs a great deal of time to adjust to her step mother and step sisters, Sophie and Hetty. The family institution must be preserved at all cost to avoid unnecessary sufferings on the part of the children. Parents must protect their children from the effects of divorce as much as possible. If a divorce is unavoidable, parents need to ensure that every care is taken to make life as normal as possible for their children.

2. Acceptance and tolerance Learning to accept and tolerate new members in the family is important when a divorce happens. The novel shows how children learn to accept their new family members and make the best of their new circumstances. Although this sounds a big task for them, they all end up accepting their new life at the end of their stories. Despite their being young, they realize how important it is to learn to share belongings and love with their step siblings. For example, Pixie has to learn to share her bedroom with her step sister Hetty. She has to tolerate her privacy being taken away causing her to devise ways to get rid of Hetty from her bedroom. She considers her bedroom is her territory and Hettys presence an intrusion. However, she manages to get her room back after a heated argument with her step mother. In the end Pixie learns to tolerate her step sisters and accepts their differences. Acceptance and tolerance can also be seen in Claudias story. She learns to accept the presence of her step mother when her fathers marriage to her real mother fails. The green pyjamas her step mother gave her and the dinner hosted by her step mother one night play a role in bringing them closer. Despite her earlier resentment towards her step mother, Claudia makes a big decision that it is not fair for her to hate her step mother. In doing so she also shows her maturity despite her young age. In Pixies story, she is shown to accept the fact that her new stepmother is having as much trouble "adjusting" as she is. It is amazing how these young characters show a lot of strength despite the distinct problems they face in their families. They learn to accept things around them gradually because they do not have a choice. Furthermore that life has to go on.

3. Responsibility Marriage entails responsibility. It is about building a family and raising children that are part and parcel of a marriage partnership. This will include providing shelter, clothing, education and love. Therefore if a marriage is broken, children would be directly affected. Parents therefore must accept that they still have a responsibility to ensure that the divorce does not cost their children more than it already has. One of the ways this is shown in the novel is by the turns or visits the children have with their new families. Their parents although divorced, insist that their children take turns to visit them. Pixie for instance goes to her step familys house a few days in a month while Ralph has a more hectic and complicated schedule. He has to divide the weekdays to be at his divorced parents house. It is a pity that he has to shuffle his time between his parents but he pretty much accepts his situation without complaints. The step parents also try their best to be responsible towards their step children. Stella tries to make Claudia feel comfortable every time she is with them. Colins mother shows a different kind of responsibility though. She moves to a different place to protect her son from her rough-house husband. Although Colin misses his father very much, his mother has made the right decision for their safety. Another example is Robbos step father who sends Callie, his sister to school every morning and works over time to pay for repairs for the house. It is fair to say that no one would wish for a divorce but when it happens, parents have to carry out their responsibilities well. They have to be sensitive to the needs of their children since children have a natural attachment to their parents. Sometimes children are simply attached to their surroundings, and moving into new surroundings can cause an understandable negative reaction. Colin for instance has trouble learning being half asleep in school.

4. Children have opinions too This theme is portrayed through the five main characters in the novel. Since all the main characters come from broken homes, we learn that they too want their opinions to be heard and acknowledged. Very often than not, there is a communication breakdown between the children and parents who undergo divorce. For example, Colin does not have a say at all when her mother decides to move to another place to stay safe from his father. Colin has to start all over in a new school and make new friends. His opinion is never sought. In another example, Pixie shows that she wants to be heard. Her strong opinions about the adults around her are revealed when she quarrels with Lucy, her step mother. She expresses her frustrations and anger through her words. The writer provides the opportunity for the children to voice out their opinions frankly and honestly through the stories they tell. Through each of the main characters, we realize that children too have opinions and that their opinions must also be sought. Pixie would like to have a say about her room arrangement and Colin, although quiet, often wonders why his mother makes decisions independently. Through the main characters words and actions, we can also see a certain level of maturity in the childrens thinking. They are not without opinions. But how many parents actually sought for their opinions. Divorce is always an adults story and too often children are just trapped in between. The novel in a way is a tribute to the childrens spirit. They make us see the depth of their feelings and opinions through their unique stories. Too often childrens feelings are unnoticed, ignored and or not taken seriously resulting in failure in building relationships in broken homes.

Compare two characters in the novel you have studied. How are they similar and different?
The novel I have chosen is Step by wicked step written by Anne Fine. Colin and Claudia are the two characters I have chosen to compare and contrast. Although they are two differing characters, they also have some similarities. Both Colin and Claudia come from broken or separated families. They both have step parents. Colins mother has left his biological father and `took up with Jack. Jack is the only father figure Colin ever know. However, Colins mum leaves Jack after a while. This causes him to miss Jack so badly that it hurts. On the other hand, Claudias father has left her mother for another woman, Stella. She feels disloyal to her mum whenever she has a good time with her father and Stella. Both Colin and Claudia really want their parents to reconcile as they pine for how it used to be when they were happy. And this aspect of unhappy home is the first similarity. Colin and Claudia also do not adapt to the drastic changes their families undergo. Colins unwavering loyalty and want for his dad to be back and Claudias misguided loyalty to her mother shows that these two characters find difficulties dealing with changes. There are frustrations, fear and sadness. Furthermore, both Colins and Claudias mothers do not take their emotions into consideration. It is as though everything is only happening to them, and will never have an impact on the children. This is the second similarity; the fact that the changes take time. However, Colin and Claudia are markedly different individuals. They deal with the changes in their respective families differently; Colin is portrayed as a boy always pining for his father even after five whole years. However, Claudia becomes hostile towards the new lady in her life, Stella, disregarding all the latters efforts to warm up to her. These different treatments are proof of their dissimilarity. Both Colin and Claudia have different personalities too. Colin is a dreamer who dreams of an ideal life where his dad and mother will be together forever and happy. He secretly keeps his fathers tobacco tin and saves money so that he can look for him one day. This makes him too depending on his stepdad and emotionally attached to him. This is probably due to the fact that he needs love from a man called father. Claudia is more of a sensible and rational person. After seeing her dads friends ignoring Stella and judging it as rude, she goes to compliment Stella on her stellar choice of green pyjamas. Claudia is more independent and is not afraid to voice her opinions. Unlike Colin, Claudia is brave in coming to terms with her parents separation. She is independent and not afraid to voice her opinions. These dissimilar personalities differentiates them and hint at a different future both might face. Even though they experience broken family relationships and find it difficult to accept changes, the way Colin and Claudia accept new additional member of the family is different. They have different views in accepting reality and this has made the story more inspiring and colourful.

Describe a character that loving and caring.

The novel that I have read is Step by Wicked Step written by Anne Fine. The story is about five British students arrive ahead of their friends to a field trip at haunted Old Harwick Hall. With the aid of flashes of lightning, two girls, Pixie and Claudia, and three boys, Robbo, Colin and Ralph find an abandoned room which belongs to Richard Clayton Harwick. They uncover a journal about a boy who ran away from his mansion. Then, each of them reveal and share their heart-rending story of their broken homes. A character that I find loving and caring is Robbo. Robbo is a soccer-mad boy. His parents divorces when he was only six years old. His mother, Callie remarries with Roy. Robbo has an elder sister, Callie. Robbo is a loving person. He loves his family very much. For instance, he loves his sister. He always consider about Callies feelings. He does not get too close to their stepfather because he knows that Callie hates their stepfather very much. She even calls Jack The Beard and pig. Robbo always tries to fulfill Callies demands. He agreed to help Callie who tries to reunite their parents back. Other than that, Robbo is caring towards Dumpa too. Dumpa is his half-brother who is the son of Hope and Roy. He is worried about Dumpas fate if his parents were to get back together. One cold winter morning, Dumpa follows Roy around as he cleared out the shed. Hope wants Dumpa to get out of the cold and come inside the house but the little boy refused. Robbo who cares about Dumpa tries to persuade Dumpa by offering an ice lolly and make him promise to come in after finishing it. Besides, Robbo is caring about his family. He tries to talk to Roy and make him think of Dumpa. But on the other hand, Roy make Robbo realize that he is still stay in this family because of Dumpa. As a result, Robbo told Callie and Hope that Roy did not want to come in because he was fed up of their cold treatment. Robbo even tells his mother that Callie cannot accept Jack as her stepfather and suggested to move Callie to their fathers house. In conclusion, Robbo is a caring and loving person. Without his abundance love to the family and his caring character, the problem might have not solved.

Write about your favourite theme.

The novel that I have read is Step by Wicked Step written by Anne Fine. The main story takes place at Old Harwick Hall where Claudia, Colin, Ralph, Pixie and Robbo arrive ahead of their schoolmates. It is a dark huge mansion and seemingly full of secrets which appear to make illusion of the childrens to-be-revealed secrets. The children discover a secret door in the wall which leads to an abandoned room which they find belongs to Richard Clayton Harwick in the past. Old Harwick is the home of Richard whose father passes away and his mother remarries with cold-hearted man, Reverend Coldstone. He cannot accept his stepfather and decides to leave home and sail to the sea. Richard eventually returns home to learn that his mother is dies of heartbreak trying to locate him and his sister continues the search of him till her dying day. The reading of the story sets the five children thinking and telling their own stories. All of them came from broken homes and have gone through tumultuous relationship with their step-parents and step-siblings. My favourite theme in this novel is the necessity to accept change and adapt. It is a key theme as this ability to accept the reality of change and be able to move on is essential for the happiness of the person and the people around him or her. Richard is unable to accept the new man in his mothers lives so he make life miserable for himself, his mother, his stepfather and his little sister, Charlotte as well. For example, Richard treats his stepfather coldly and in return, his stepfather sends him to Mordanger School. Richard have learnt nothing expect how to freeze, and how to starve, and how to be bullied and beaten at that school. He also wishes to burn the school to ashes. Then, Richard makes a harsh decision by leaving home without even telling anyone. This brings untold grief to his mother who eventually dies of heartbreak, as well as his sister who misses him till her dying day. His decision also sours his mother relationship with his stepfather. Other than that, Callie is also unable to cope with her new family as she is being stubborn and treats her stepfather rudely. She calls her stepfather The Beard and pig. Callies disobedience make Roy lose his temper and they relationship get worsen day by day. But Callie is fortunate because her brother, Robbo, is able to get their mother to agree for starting afresh in their relationship with her father. Besides, Colin is unable to accept the reality that his stepfather is no longer around and still misses him terribly. His school grades are affected but he trudges on hoping that to find his stepfather one day. He does not blame his mother for taking him away from his stepfather and his relationship with his mother in unaffected. However, he eventually toys with the idea of leaving home one day, in order to make his mother feel what he has gone through in missing his stepfather. On the other hand, Ralph goes through his fathers remarriages and endures. When his stepmother number two sets rules that makes living in this house seems like a prison, he bears with it and adapts. Ralph eventually gets used to her personality and gets along with her. In fact, he likes her a lot and hopes that she will stay on. Claudia is also tries to accept the changes and adapt to the new situation of her family. Her father leaves home and stay at her grandmothers house. Her father has a new girlfriend named Stella. One weekend, her father and Stella are having party and Claudia saw that her fathers friend were ignoring Stella and treating her coldly, just like what she did to Stella too. As a result, she goes down to Stella and tells her that the pyjamas that she gave her are beautiful. Claudias action made the rest of the guests changes their behaviour towards Stella. This shows that Claudia accept Stella as new member of her family. I like this theme because it is the very spirit that children of broken homes need to have to get over their unhappiness with the changes of their loves. These changes are due to their parents divorce. They need to learn to accept changes and new situation as well as trying to adapt to it so that they can accept their step-father and stepsiblings.

Values 1. Understanding To make any relationship works, there must be understanding among the people involve especially when the people are close to you; for example in the story, family members. Step by wicked step tells a story about how five young people discover this value and eventually make their new family members happy. Robbo for example tries his best to be understanding about his stepfathers situation and in the end helps find solution so both his sister, Callie and his stepfather can live happily. 2. Tolerance Another value that is very important in order to have harmony in a family is the ability to tolerate each others attitude, especially someone new in your family. Claudia has problems at the beginning of her relationship with her fathers new wife and stepdaughters. She cant tolerate her stepsisters intruding into her personal space and eventually this worsens the situation. Gradually she learns to tolerate her new stepsisters and able to live in peace. 3. Optimism Optimism makes a person harbour hope of achieving what one wants. Colin, one of the boys in the story is very optimistic about finding his beloved stepfather, Jack. He keeps Jacks tobacco tin and hums his favourite song while waiting for him. He even keeps money, so that one day when he is older he can go and find him. The hope of finding Jack makes him face life positively. 4. Caring Step by Wicked Step shows that family members must care about each other. One of the boys in the story, Ralph is very caring towards his half brother Dumpa. He knows that Dumpa needs his father and Callies plan of getting rid of their stepfather will only hurt little Dumpa. He does not want Dumpa to end up like him, and because of this he finds solution that will not break up Dumpa and Jack.

Character
Richard - An older child who ran away from a mean stepfather rather than trying to work out his problem. It ended up broken his mothers heart. Colin - A dreamy and sad boy who misses his stepfather whom he regards as his father. His mother divorces the stepfather and they have to live apart. Robbo - A caring brother who does not want Dumpa ( half-brother) to live without his father. He eventually helps find peace between his sister Callie and his stepfather, Roy. Caudia - An only child whose parents are divorced. She was having problems with new stepmother until one day she realised that she was being selfish and her parents divorce had nothing to do with Stella. Pixie - A fiery girl who has problems adapting to her instant new family. Her father remarries a woman with two daughters and Pixie cant get along with them. Ralph - The sensible boy with extensive family members. He has three stepmothers, a number of stepbrothers and stepsisters, half-brothers and half-sisters. He is happy because he can accept the new family with an open mind