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Katherine Paterson's Happy or Unhappy Ending

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Katherine Paterson's Happy or Unhappy Ending

Happiness seems different for all the characters, for Gilly happiness

isn't something she has been able to experience yet. This is due to

the fact she does not live with her mother and does not know her

mother very well. At the beginning Gilly is very unhappy. Moving from

one foster home to another is affecting her badly. She believes that

happiness is being with her mother, but her theory soon changes. Gilly

realises that being with her mother is not what she wants, being with

Maime Trotter however is. Gilly wants to leave Nonnie (Gillys

Grandmother) and move back with Maime Trotter. Happiness for William

Ernest and Maime Trotter is what they are living in now. Nonnie is

very happy when we meet her and she seems happy all the time. The

story has an intriguing plot. In the beginning, Gilly comes across as

a bully, but we soon see she is emotionally scarred and deep down a

lonely, sad girl. Her life with Trotter starts off badly, but they end

up getting on well. Gillys Nan introduces herself and secretly pays

Gillys mum to visit her. Gilly goes to live with Nonnie, but in the

end chapter tells Trotter she wants to come back.

Galadriel Hopkins is an unhappy child. Her need to know her mother is

very strong and takes over her life. When the story begins, Gilly is

very unhappy. She is eleven years old and unkempt. In the opening

chapter we see her first meeting Maime Trotter and her opinion of her

is not a nice one. Gilly thinks that the only way she can be happy is

to find her mother and live with her. As she does not live with her

mother she feels the need to rebel so that The Social Services will

send her to her mother. During the story, certain events affect...

... middle of paper ...

...ings or people a

chance. Gilly didn't give William Ernest or Maime Trotter a chance,

she immediately thought they weren't up to her standards, but after a

while she realised they were just like her. My views of the characters

did change during the story. At the start, I really did not like

Gilly; I thought she was really mean and a horrible person. As the

book continued though, I realised she was a lonely, hurt person who

was rebellious for a reason. She needed love. I thought the ending was

a happy one because Gilly wants to come home rather than staying with

Nonnie and her mother. All those years she wanted to be with her

mother and when they actually met, she didn't like her. She just

wanted Maime Trotter. I do hope that Gilly goes back to live with

Maime Trotter, because I think that Maime Trotter is the only person

Gilly has ever loved in her life.
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