Relationship between Violet and the adults

Part of your exam question asks you to focus on the relationship between Violet and the adults surrounding her. In the story, Violet interacts with a man at church, her father, her mother, and a priest. In what follows, we will look at each of these relationships from “On Pale Green Walls” by Clare Wigfall.

The relationship between Violet and strangers

The relationship between Violet and strangers is presented in the beginning of the story. The little girl feels overwhelmed by the crowd in the church on Christmas night:

Everyone was moving and stamping warmth back into their feet, their silhouettes lit by the shivering light of the candles. They were brushing past us, three times larger than usual for the layers of clothing they were wearing. (ll. 5-8)

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The relationship between Violet and her father

The relationship between Violet and her father comes across as a distant one. While the girl is drawing, the man reads his newspaper, ignoring her.

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The relationship between Violet and her mother

The relationship between Violet and her mother is faulty and defined by miscommunication and misunderstanding.

When frightened by the old man in the church, Violet seeks her mother’s protection— “I shrank into my mother’s legs” (l. 11). However, Violet’s mother does not understand or know her child very well and frightens the child in her turn. When Violet ‘massacres’ baby Jesus in the newspaper picture, her mother reacts aggressively and begins questioning the girl although she knows perfectly that her child is mute: "I pressed my shoulders up against my ears to muffle their voices, but I could tell my mother was upset. She swooped down to me. “Why did you do it, Violet?” she asked, pulling my head from my arms." (ll. 68-71)

Furthermore, both parents omit to explain to Violet why her gesture was wrong, leading the girl to assume that she is not supposed to draw on newspapers.

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The relationship between Violet and the priest

The relationship between Violet and the priest comes across as humorous from Violet’s perspective. Because Violet does not understand what a priest is, she treats him like a regular person.

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