A Difficult Situation

Novel, Step By Wicked Step - A Difficult Situation

Write about
(a) a difficult situation faced by one of the characters
(b) how the character managed to resolve the problems in that situation
Based on the Form 5 novel 'Step by Wicked Step' by Anne Fine, a character that
faced a difficult situation is Claudia from the story 'Green Pyjamas'.
Claudia's difficult situation stemmed from the dissolution of her parents' marriage.
Her father then moved out to live with his mother and later, he got a new girlfriend
named Stella. Although Claudia knew very well that Stella did not play a part in her
parents' divorce, she could not help feeling a sense of loyalty and faithfulness towards
her mother. Hence, she rejected all of Stella's warm advances and ignored Stella. She
also pretended to hate all the time she spent at her father's place although she knew
that her actions would hurt Stella's feelings.
At a dinner party hosted by her father and Stella, Claudia rudely rejected Stella's
invitation for her to join them. However, fueled by her curiosity, she sneaked down and
eavesdropped on the guests. To her surprise, she noticed that her father's friends were
all ignoring Stella - probably out of loyalty to Claudia's mother whom they had been
friends with too. From an outsider's point of view, Claudia realized how unfair they had
all been to Stella. All the guests left Stella out of their conversations, leaving her in an
awkward state of silence. They did not even seem to appreciate the food that Stella
laboured over.
At that very moment, Claudia decided to resolve the problem that had been plaguing
her. She decided to make things right. She changed into the pair of green pyjamas
Stella got her, and ran down surprising both Stella and her father's friends. Claudia then
exclaimed how much she loved the pyjamas - a simple act but with profound impact and instantly, her fathers' friends began to warm towards Stella. From that day onwards,
Stella and Claudia maintained a warm relationship.
In a nutshell, Claudia faced a difficult situation in feeling torn between both her
parents. In a divorce, it is often hard for a child to accept that his or her parents are not
a single entity any longer. However, in the end, Claudia resolved the problem by doing
what was right. She understood that it was very mean and unfair to treat someone badly
for something that was not their fault. It is something that all of us should take note of in
our lives. Our actions might seem minute but the consequences could mean the world
to someone else.