Analysis
“The Happiest Days of Your Life” by Penelope Lively follows the traditional plot structure of home-away-home, but ends with an unhappy, closed ending for the main character. Other elements such as foreshadowing and a dramatic climax also make up the structure.
The characters include Charles Manders (the main character) and his parents, Mr and Mrs Manders. The headmaster and his wife – Mr and Mrs Spokes - are secondary characters. Other characters that appear briefly in the story are Charles’ future classmates.
The setting of the story is the English county of Sussex, more specifically St Edwards Preparatory School, which is a traditional boarding school for young boys. The description of the school building is symbolical and points to Charles’ feeling of imprisonment as he sees it for the first time.
The events are described by a limited third-person narrator, mainly following the perspective of Mrs Manders and Charles. However, Charles’ thoughts and feelings are often not revealed directly. Instead, they are shown to us through his actions.
The language in the story includes descriptive adjectives and adverbs, as well as devices such as simile, personification, and symbol.
You can read a full analysis of the short story on the following pages.