Careful, He Might Hear You
Careful, He Might Hear You2. "There's a good deal more to Careful, he might hear you than the sad story of a little boy with a strange name". Do you agree?
Careful, he might hear you is much more than the sad story of a little boy with a strange name, although the story does contain elements of pathos. It is a milange of emotions slowly heating until boiling point is reached. The author, Sumner Locke Elliott, dwells on a number of themes which appear throughout the novel.
The story follows the constrained life of a young boy named PS. Constrained because of the constant reminder that he is living in the shadow of his deceased mother, Sinden. The mere calling of his name, PS, reminds him that he is a "post script" of his mother's "ridiculous life". Elliot delves into the innocent musings and ruminations of this child. He conveys PS's feelings and understanding with sparkling clarity. This alone displays how an innocent child is affected by the battle that rages over him, a battle that he has no control over. PS was settled in life until Vanessa entered and shattered it into disharmony. The arrival and presence of PS's invidious aunt creates a lot of stress for the small boy. He must endure changes in his home, school, and lifestyle. All of this was done against the will of PS, who strongly resented the proposition of these changes.
This incident displays the lack of importance the opinion of a child holds in society. PS disliked Vanessa, but his opinion was held irreverent. This was made apparent by his experiences of acute nostalgia.
Lila, his pseudo-mother, was mawkishly protective of PS. Instead of revealing PS to the face of reality, she shrouded the real world and prolonged the fantasised world he lived in. This was done through such things as referring to PS's mother as the "Dear One", and her grave labelled as "Dear One's Little Garden".
"'Haven't we made Dear One's Garden look neat and pretty for her?'" (p31)
Without doubt this would create incorrect perceptions within the young mind, perceptions which would further complicate his position if the situation was not explained clearly to him. PS also dislikes the manner most adults treat him with.
"and saw that she was giving him that sorry, sad look they all did and which he hated" (p 43)
PS's parents must realise that he has matured to the point that he can understand and comprehend the truth.
The reason for this entropy in PS's life is the arrival of Vanessa. The reason as to why Vanessa would want guardianship of PS remains clouded in mystery. Vanessa is a very complex character, and understanding her motives are very difficult.
"Do you finally see now how important it was for me to come back to that child?" (p 55)
Perhaps she wanted a link to Logan, her ex-boyfriend....
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