STEP BY WICKED STEP

Using the details in the novel you have studied, discuss one of the themes in the story. Provide evidence from the text to support your answer. In the novel Step by Wicked Step by Anne Fine, the theme that can be found in surviving divorce and remarriage. All the students faced various challenges as a result of their parents divorce or remarriage. The first challenge is getting used to complicated living arrangements. Ralph had to remember whose hose to go to on different days of the week. He ended up having two different lunch boxes to remind him where to go. Another challenge is to accept a step-parent and step-siblings. Pixie had a tough time trying to get along with her stepsisters, Hetty and Sophie. She was annoyed when she had to share a room with Hetty. The last challenge is loyalty. Claudia was not friendly to Stella at first because she did not want to hurt her mother. She was worried that being nice to Stella would mean that she is disloyal to her mother. It is not easy to cope with divorce and remarriage. It takes a lot of patience, tolerance and acceptance.

Using the details in the novel you have studied, write about an episode that is memorable in the story. Provide evidence from the text to support your answer. In the novel Step by Wicked Step by Anne Fine, a memorable incident is the death of Richards father. This incident is memorable because it changed Richards life and in the end, his whole family. The first change that Richard had to face is his mothers marriage to Reverend Coldstone. Richard hated his stepfather because he enforced strict rules and made Richard feel that his house was like a prison. He also sent Richard away to Mordanger School for four years. Another change is betrayal. Richard felt that his mother had betrayed him when she allowed Reverend Coldstone to treat him badly. He also felt betrayed when Charlotte persuaded him not to hate his stepfather. Finally, Richard decided to run away and vanish. His departure caused financial ruin and heartbreak to his mother and sister. His mother spent a lot of money to search for him. Charlotte married a man she did not love to continue the search after their mother died. The death of Richards father brought about a lot of changes to Richards family. Most of them are sorrowful. From this incident, we must remember that we should be courageous in difficult times and not let others suffer from our bad decisions.

Using the details in the novel you have studied, discuss the problems faced by a character. How does he/ she overcome the problems? Provide evidence from the text to support your answer. In the novel Step by Wicked Step by Anne Fine, Colin had a few problems and had his own ways of overcoming them. The first problem that Colin had is when his mother suddenly decided to move away without his Dads knowledge. He was always waiting for his dad to come to see them but he never did. So, he wrote a letter to his dad, but he never received any reply. Another problem is Colin missed his dad very much. Colin consoled himself by pretending that his dad was around. He would put his dads tobacco tin under his pillow, hummed their favourite song and finally unscrewed the lid of the tin to take in the smell of his dad. Colin wants to find his dad. But he cannot do it now as he does not have enough money and is not old enough. So, he does three paper rounds to save money to find his dad when he is older. Problems are common in life. We must think carefully of how we want to solve it so that the consequences of our decision will not trouble others.

Using the details in the novel you have studied, write about a moral value you have learnt from the story. Provide evidence from the text to support your answer. In the novel Step by Wicked Step by Anne Fine, a moral value that can be found is love and devotion. The first character who showed love and devotion is Richards mother. She spent a lot of money seeking for Richard although she had to suffer Reverend Coldstones anger and disapproval. Another character who demonstrated love and devotion is Charlotte. She continued her mothers search for her brother, Richard. Since she did not have any money, she married a rich man she did not love at 16. Colin, too, showed love and devotion. He kept his Dads tobacco tin and hummed their favourite song. He does three paper rounds to earn money to search for his Dad when he is old enough. These characters have greatly showed their love and devotion. They proved that people will do anything for the ones they love.