Structure

The overall structure of “The Happiest Days of Your Life” by Penelope Lively follows the traditional home-away-home structure. The story begins and ends in the Manders’ car, which ought to be a safe place for Charles, while the middle of the story takes place at the boarding school, which is an even scarier place for him. 

In the middle part, Charles is tested by the other boys at the school and fails; he leaves with the promise of being bullied and is unable to speak up or defend himself. As he returns home by the end of the story, we realise that it will not be for long. His parents have decided to enrol him at the school.

More specifically, the short story begins in medias res by introducing a boy - the main character Charles - to us: 

The boy sat on the back seat of the car, a box of chocolates, unopened, beside him, and a comic, folded. The trim Suss...