Understanding the story

1. Briefly describe the location of the story, the situation and the girl's family background in your own words.

2. What do you think the decision which the girl has taken is?

3. Why will it be difficult for her to tell her parents of her decision? Does she have a bad conscience?

4. How does the author express the conflict within the girl's mind?

5. What finally convinces her that she has taken the right decision?

6. Do the parents try to influence her decision?

7. In what way has the relationship between the girl and her parents changed by the end of the story?

Style and language

1. What role do the senses (smell, hearing, sight, touch) play in this story?

Give examples from the text.

2. In what ways does the author's description of the kitchen help us to understand the girl's conflict?

3. Pick out as many words as you can find in the text that express violence or brutality.

Discussion and comment

1. In what ways do you think the characters of the girl and her parents differ? In which passages of the text does the author show these differences?

2. Perhaps you come from a family which lives "above the shop (or office, or restaurant, or doctor's surgery etc.)". If you do, describe what it is like. If you don't, say what you think it is like. What are the advantages and disadvantages?

3. Compare the two images which the author has of her parents, as a child and at the end of the story. How do the images differ?

4. The image of the snowdrop is compared to the idea of hope. Why is the girl thankful that she did not know the word "hope" at the time?

5. Is there a conflict of the generations in this story? Have you ever been in a similar situation? Talk about it.

6. All three characters in this story are victims. Victims of what? Would you describe any of them as a victor? Why?

7. Would you say that the ending of the story is optimistic or pessimistic?

8. "Only the weapons remain unharmed: wood and metal gleaming as though smiling. The victory belongs to them." What do you think the author means by this?

9. The three characters in this story belong to the Chinese ethnic minority in Britain. Discuss the positions of ethnic minorities in your own country.

10. Give a full stylistic analysis of the text. Summary and composition

1. Summarize the story briefly in your own words - orally or in writing (120 words).

2. Ten-minute "essay": Put yourself in the girl's position. How would you feel if your parents expected you to help in the family business or train for a particular job when you had other plans for your future? How would you convince them? Write a dialogue between yourself and one or both of your parents justifying your decision.

Comparing stories

In what ways does the life of this modern-day young woman differ from that of other women in the stories you have read in this collection (particularly Lorna in "You Should Have Seen the Mess", Naomi in "Sweet Sixteen" or Anna in "Mannequin"). Your teacher may ask you to do this task as homework and discuss your comparisons in one of the next lessons.