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Fiction

Notes Chapter 4: The Young life of Paul

Summary

This chapter begins by describing the way that Paul, in the absence of William, bonded most
closely with his sister Annie. She was a tomboy, who played games with the other neighborhood
children, and Paul would quietly tag along behind her. One day, while Annie’s favorite doll
is lying covered up on the sofa, Paul jumps off the sofa arm and lands on the doll. Annie is
very upset, but her brother is perhaps more upset at her grief. A few days later, Paul suggests
that they make a sacrifice of the doll, and they burn and smash its remains.
One evening when Paul comes home, he finds his father and older brother in the midst of an
argument, which only fails to come to blows because of Mrs. Morel’s intervention.

The family moves out of the Bottoms into a house with an ash-tree, which makes noise when
the wind blows through it. Morel likes it, but the children hate it.
Morel still comes home late and drunk most nights, and Paul begins to worry because his
mother is worrying about his father. One night he goes out to play, then at night anxiously
runs into the kitchen to check on his mother. When he finds that his father has not come, he
goes to visit Mrs. Inger, who lives two doors down and has no children of her own. He talks
to her for a while, then goes home.
When Morel finally does come home, he is usually rude and irritable. During this time period
he becomes more and more shut out from the family affairs, as the children begin to tell their
mother everything and their father nothing. This is illustrated by the example of Paul’s prize,
which his mother convinces him to tell his father about. During their conversation, it becomes
apparent that Morel is an outsider in his own family.

The next part of the narration, however, describes the times of happiness between Morel and
his children. When he is happily engrossed in his work, he gets along well with his children.
He tells stories, like the ones about Taffy the horse. On these nights, when Morel has some job
to do, he goes to bed early and the children feel secure when he is in bed.
One day Paul comes home at dinnertime feeling ill and does not go back to school. It turns
out that he has bronchitis. His father visits him while he is ill, but he asks for his mother, and
sleeping with his mother comforts him.
The next episode is that of Paul going to collect the money for his father’s pay on Fridays.
When his name is called, he is at the back of the room behind all the men and almost misses
his turn. He is saved by Mr. Winter bottom, the clerk, who pauses and asks the men to step
aside so that Paul can get through. Paul is embarrassed and flustered by the experience, and
he is relieved when it is over, and he is outside. He then goes to the New Inn to meet his father
and has to wait a long time before he comes. When he gets home, Paul tells his mother he
doesn’t want to go collect the money any more. His mother soothes him “in her own way.”
On Friday night, Paul stays home and bakes while his mother goes to the market. He likes to
draw or read while the baking is being done. His mother gets home, shows her purchases to
Paul, and they discuss the bargains she has gotten.
The rest of the family’s life in the Scargill Street house is rather happy. The children love
playing outside on winter evenings with the other neighborhood children.
The final part of the chapter concerns the preparations made for William’s visit at Christmas.
The three other children go to the station to meet him and get very discouraged when the train
is more than two hours late. At last, however, the train arrives with William. At home the
parents are also anxious and begin to quarrel slightly, but finally the children arrive. William
has brought presents for everyone, and everyone feels happy. After he returns to London,

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