Street child door Berlie Doherty

In dit verslag is ingedeeld in hoofdstukken en er zitten ook quotes doorheen geweven.

Algemene informatie
Title: Street Child
Author: Berlie Doherty
Publisher: Heinemann New Windmills
Year of publish: 1995
Number of pages: 152

Before reading:

Ik ging naar de bibliotheek om te kijken of er nog een leuk Engels boekje was. Toen zag ik dit boek, las de achterkant en dacht dat het wel een mooi verhaal was. Ik denk dus dat het een mooi verhaal is, maar wel een beetje zielig

Summary and quotes:
Tell me your story, Jim:Jim Darvis has got only one thing, his name. Barnie changed his life. Jim can’t believe his luck; he has food, he is wearing clothes, he has a room where a great big fire burns and he has housemates. He tells his story to Barnie.

1 The shilling pie: Jim hangs out on the street, alone. He’s hungry and cold. He runs into a shop and buys a pudding of the last shilling that they have. When he comes home his mother is sleeping. She’s very ill. They live in a small house with lot families. Jim lives together with his mother and his two sisters Emily and Lizzie. His father died. His mother doesn’t want to eat, because there are no more shillings. Jim and his sisters can’t sleep, because they worry.

2 The stick man:They must have slept in the end. The next thing they hear is stamping of heavy feet on the stairs and the rapping of a cane on the floor outside. The man comes in without knocking and wants to have the rent. But they have no money; Jim spent the last money yesterday for the pie. The man, Mr. Spink, says: ‘No money, no rent. No rent, no home.’ Mr. Spink knows another family who wants to live here, and they can pay him for it. So Jim’s family has to move.

3 Rosie and Judd: Mrs. Jarvis led her children away from the slums where they had lived for the past year to a much quieter part of town. She’s going to take them to the house where she used to work and she’s going to take them to see the only friend she has got in the world, she’s called Rosie. If Rosie can’t help them, nobody can. Rosie says that they can help in the workhouse, but the children had already heard terrifying stories about the workhouses. Rosie asks Judd if they can move in. Judd asks Emily and Lizzie for permission. Eventually they can stay there. Mrs. Jarvis left Emily and Lizzie with Rosie. She goes away with Jim.

4 The workhouse:Jim and his mother walked for most of that day. Eventually they fell asleep on the pavement. Then Someone shakes Jim and he opens his eyes. A voice starts to speak. See page 21: ‘Where d’you live?’ a voice said. Jim sat up. Already it was growing dark. There were people around him and some were kneeling by his mother, trying to lift her. ‘We used to live in a cottage,’ said Jim. ‘We had a cow and some hens.’ ‘Where d’you live now?’ It was a different voice, a bit sharper than the last one. Jim tried to remember the name of the street where they had rented a room in Mr. Spink’s big house, and couldn’t. He couldn’t understand why his mother didn’t wake up. He looked around for his bundle and saw that his wooden horse was gone. He clutched Lizzie’s old boots. ‘You haven’t got nowhere?’ The same voice asked. Jim shook his head. Someone was doing something to his mother, rubbing her hands, it looked like, dabbing her face with her shawl. ‘Get them to the workhouse,’ someone said. ‘There’s nothing we can do for her.’ The police took them to the workhouse. In the workhouse Jim and his mother were split up. During the night Jim could hear boys crying, stifling their sobs as she comes and goes, little puffs of sound that are hardly there at all. He lays awake all night, thinking about Emily and Lizzie and worrying about his mother. Jim asks Joseph, the leader, where his mother is. He says if he is good he can go and see his mother today. Mrs. Scissons comes in and tells Jim that his mother had passed away.

5 Behind bars: The only person Jim wanted to be with was Rosie. She would tell Emily and Lizzie. But there is no chance of being with Rosie, therefore Jim wants to escape. At first it seems an impossible idea. He remembers the runaway boys locked up in the shed in the yard for everyone to see, but he has to try.

6 Tip: Tip is the only person with whom Jim feels like talking to. Jim goes to school in the workhouse. He says to Tip that he can’t write and read. Mr. Barrack heard that and he became very angry. Tip tells Jim that if Barrack once starts hitting you, he will hit you always. Just don’t let him have a chance to start. Tell Barrack Tip did it, if he blames you for anything. Tip drums and Jim had never heard that before. See page 38: ‘He thumped the drum in time to every word. ‘I hate this place! Bang bang bang bang.’ ‘So do I,’ said Jim. ‘Bang bang bang.’ He closed his eyes and put his head back. He shouted into the darkness, opening up his throat to let all the tightness out. ‘I want Dad. I want Ma. Bang bang bang. I want Emily. Bang bang bang. I want Liz. Bang bang bang-bang bang! I want to go home.’ Mr Barrack raised his hand and the sound stopped as if it had been torn away in shreds. Silence, utter, swirling, hugging, silence. Jim felt his thoughts tumbling into it and then settling into calm. He felt better.

7 The wild thing: Jim says to Tip that he’s going to run away today, and asks if Tip will go with him. Tip doubts, because he’s scared that they might catch him. So Tip doesn’t go.

8 The carpet beaters: Jim knows that he should make his break before old Mariondoes her rounds for the night. Mr Sissons asks if some big boys will help the carpet-beaters. Eventually Jim and Tip decided to help. They have to carry a carpet out to the yard. A woman said that they were too tiny. She runs away and forgets all about them. Jim sees a gate. Tip doesn’t. Jim creeps through the gate. He is free

9 The jaw of the iron dog: Jim knows one thing for sure: he must keep away from policemen. If they see him they send him back. He will find Rosie, Emily and Lizzie again, but London is a huge, throbbing, noisy place. He has no idea which way to go. A boy asks him if he comes from the workhouse because he is wearing those clothes. They switch of their clothes. It’s a year ago that his mother died and Emily and Lizzie don’t even know that. He walks slowly up to the statue; one of the three long streets was the street where Rosie worked. He finds the house, a girl opens the door. He thinks it’s Emily.

10 Lame Betsy: The girl isn’t Emily. She tells Jim that Judd was sent away with another woman and two street children. The girl draws Jim in and tells him to sit by the fire. Jim gets food and gets to sleep. The next day lame Betsy, another woman, tells him that she knows where Rosie is, but she doesn’t know where the girls are. Betsy takes him to Rosie.

11 The spitting crow: Jim is still sleeping, when the old woman kicks him to awake. Jim sits the whole day outside. When Rosie comes he runs to her. Rosie tells him that he can’t stay there. See page 63: ‘Well, Jim,’ she said, ‘I’ve no time to talk to you now. I’ve food to cook for my grandfather and my uncles, as they’re kind enough to give me a home.’ She stopped by the cottage. ‘And I can’t ask you in. Grandfather would throw you to the gulls and me with you, if he thought you were intending to stay. There’s too many of us. Do you understand?’ Jim stared up at her. ‘Don’t look at me like that, Jim,’ she said. ‘You don’t know my grandfather, or you wouldn’t look at me like that. But I’ll show you where you can sleep tonight, if you promise to be careful.’ She took him down to the shed. ‘Will you be all right here?’ she asked. ‘It’s cold, and it doesn’t half stink with all that rot on the river, but it’s dry enough.’ ‘I like it,’ said Jim. ‘I can pretend I’m on a boat, Rosie.’ Jim misses Tip. Rosie brings Jim food. He promises Rosie never let Grandpa know, that he is there. Rosie tells Jim about Emily and Lizzie. According to Rosie, Emily and Lizzie are taken by a grey-eyed lady to the countryside. Jim hopes it’s true.

12 Shrimps: Next morning Rosie tells Jim that he will have to help her if she was going to feed him. Jim likes working for her. He helps Rosie sell fish, on the market. He dances together with Shrimps, a homeless kid too. Rosie sells much more now. That night Rosie’s grandfather catches Jim and sells him to Nick.

13 the Lily: Jim doesn’t dare ask where he’s going, or whether he will be coming back, or if he can just run back to the cottage to say goodbye to Rosie. Nick takes Jim to a boat that called Lily. Nick warns Jim that if he will escape, his dog will catch him. Jim must shovel coals.

14 The waterman’s arms: Jim has to work hard every day, but his dream comes true, they are heading towards the sea.

15 Josh: Josh is a man from another boat. Jim tells him that it’s cold and hard on the boat, and that he doesn’t get enough food. Jim asks if he can come with Josh. See page 97: ‘Josh.’ Jim’s idea burst out of him, taking him by surprise. ‘Can I come with you?’ Josh looked down at him. His face was in deep shadow. ‘Come with me?’ His voice was soft. ‘Why?’ Jim lowered his head and shrugged. His cheeks were burning again. He couldn’t find his voice properly. ‘I think it would be better, that’s all,’ he whispered. ‘Nothing gets much better,’ Josh said. ‘Not till you’re dead.’ He hauled himself quickly up the rope, whistling tunelessly between his teeth. Jim sat for a long time with his legs crossed and his arms folded across his knees. The moon was out, bright and round as a mocking face, and the river was billowing up to it, and beyond was blackness. There was no other world but the blackened heart of the lighter and his own small bench

space. This was his home. He had to accept it.

16 Boy in pain: Jim feels very lonely. Snipe, the dog of Nick, bites Jim a lot. Snipe alone listens to Nick. Sometimes Nick wishes he was Snipe. Because Snipe gets so much food, and he alone when Nick thinks fit to feed him. Jim does try to escape one night. He has been living on the boat nearly a year before his chance come. There’s a sudden storm. He thinks Nick and Snipe won’t hear him going because the storm makes such a noise. He wants to get over the edge. But Snipe heard him and bites Jim really hard, again and again. He has never known such pain in his life before. He never tries to escape anymore.

17 The monster weeps: Nick pushes Jim’s head down and ties a rope round his neck. A little later Nick falls, and Jim saves his life. But no thanks from Nick.

18 You can do it, Bruvver: It’s autumn. There was a party. He knows Nick will be drunker than he’ll ever been before. It was his perfect chance. Jim breaks the rope with a sharp piece of coal, and slips the rope around Snipes neck and secures it. He creeps over to the side of the deck and rolls himself off the lighter and on the bank. He rights himself, and begins to run.

19 Away: Jim runs and runs far away. He thinks that Snipe is following him, but it is another dog.

20 The green caravan: The next morning Jim wakes op and runs to the circus. And asks for a job. When he tells his story, he gets a job.

21 Circus boy:Jim helps to set up the huge tent, and sees to the show with Antonio. Then he sees Madame Juglini, the boss, in the entrance gap of the tent. And next to hers, he sees another face a blackened face, and square, with hair like a slipping thatch, and eyes that bulged through like lamps. It was Nick.

22 On the run again:Jim turns away again and runs until he could run no more. He reaches a barn near a farmhouse. Shrimps said a long time ago: ‘I’d rather sleep in a barnful of rats, and I’ve done that a time or two’. The old woman has left open the kitchen door. Jim peers in. He can see bread on the table. He doesn’t feel he can ever trust anyone again. He sneaks into the kitchen, stuffing as much food as he can in his mouth, cramming his pockets till they bulges and leaves. He has no idea where he is. He comes to a signpost. He traces the letters with his fingers, one by one. ‘LONDON TOWN’. It has to be. London was near, he knows it is.

23 Shrimps again: When he arrives at London, everything’s gone. All the houses are gone. They’re building a big new dock. He meets a boy who knows Shrimps. When they come to shrimps he’s badly changed.

24 Looking for a doctor:Jim asks Shrimps what’s happened. See page 132: ‘Shrimps,’ said Jim, uneasy. ‘What’s up with you?’ ‘Old age, bruvver.’ In his heart Jim was afraid it might be the cholera. Many people were dying of that, he knows. ‘What really happened, Shrimps?’ ‘I got beat up, didn’t I? This old gentleman give me a guinea, honest he did. Probably thought it was a farthing, but he gives me a guinea, fair and square. I think he took a fancy to me charming face.’ ‘I believe you.’ ‘And I was follered down this alley. Some bloke said I’d nicked it off the old gentleman and I had to give it back. And when I said I hadn’t they started kicking me and punching me like I was a rag doll. But I wasn’t going to give me guinea up, was I? It was a present. Sooner give it me ma than them blokes. So I stuck it under me armpit. Anyway, they must’ve knocked me out good and proper. When I came to, me jacket had gone and me guinea with it, and all me laces, too. So the lads brought me here. Carried me, they did.’ Jim stays by Shrimps all the time. Jim asks all the people if they know a doctor who doesn’t want to have money. A woman tells him that there’s a doctor of some sort, not far from there. It’s on a school, but Jim remembers the schoolroom of the workhouse. So he doesn’t want to go. That night it was difficult for Shrimps.

25 The ragged school: Jim goes to the Ragged School. But doctor Barnie just goes away. Jim says to Shrimps that there comes a doctor tomorrow.

26 Goodbye, Bruvver: The next morning Shrimps died. Jim feels it’ll be good to be back in the workhouse. Everything will be ordered and regular. There’ll be enough food. Jim has no idea where to go now. He knows he can’t live in the crates again, not without Shrimps.

27 Barnie: Jim now lives on the street. He begs for money. He lives together with other boy’s. The other boy’s works in gangs when they are stealing, passing the scarf or purse from one to the other so rapidly that it is impossible to tell what was happening. It’s like a big family helping each other. But Jim isn’t one of them. One day he has enough. He doesn’t want to end like Shrimps. He goes to the school. There he meets Barnie, the doctor. Jim tells him about the street children.
The end of the story: Barnie builds a home for all the street children.

After reading:
Ik vond het een heel mooi verhaal om te lezen. Ik vond het zoals voorspeld een heel zielig verhaal en het is ook nog eens waar gebeurd! Er zijn alleen wat elementen toegevoegd om het verhaal wat spannender te maken. Ik kan niet zomaar noemen welke scene ik het interessantst vond, omdat het hele verhaal me wel raakte. Het boeiendste karakter blijft natuurlijk de hoofdpersoon Jim. Echt sneu voor hem. Als ik een film of boek moest noemen waar deze het meeste op leek, zou ik toch kruimeltje zeggen. Er zijn heel wat overeenkomsten tussen hun. Dit is echt het mooiste Engelse boek wat ik tot nu toe heb gelezen. En ook het eerste boek wat ik begreep. Echt een aanrader!