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having short time with his father. “The quail is home,” Christopher muttered with all the insolence of remaindered rebellion. p. 51. All of those quotations above
implicitly describe a rebellion side of Christopher. This is also one of the divorce’s influences on children’s behavior.
3. The Characteristics of Natalie
She is a six-year-old, the youngest children in this family. She is an adorable girl. She knows about her parents’ divorce, but she never stops hoping
that her mother forgives her father. a. Innocent
Natalie is an innocent child. Even though her father some times does ridiculous things she keeps on adoring him. She tries to be a peacemaker
between her mother and her father even sometimes she tells untruth. Through Natalie’s speech it can be seen her innocent side. Once, when she visits her father
she tells lie in order to make her father happy. Natalie said:
“Daddy, Mother sent you her love.” “Did she?” Daniel was astonished. “Did she really?”
“No,” Christopher said, reaching inside the cage to touch his pet. “Of course not,” said Lydia. “Natalie just made that up, or saw it on
television or something.” p.5 There is one another occasion when her father asks about the coats that he
buys for the children. He wants to know whether the children wear them or not. Nobody answer, until Natalie in a happy voice and innocent face tells:
“I wear mine,” Natalie offered. “I did wear mine on bonfire night, and when we went sledding, and when the park was all flooded and muddy,
and when we slid down that hill in cardboard boxes, and mother thought that there might be dog doo.” p.7
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When Natalie answers her father’s question, what in her mind is just to make her father happy. She does not realize that actually the fact that she wears
her coat makes her father disappointed. Below is Daniel’s response: “See?” Daniel crowded triumphantly. “See? She only lets you wear my
coats when she’s afraid the coat’s she bought will get scorched, or ripped, or filthy, or –“ thinking of dog doo “— worse.” p. 7
Daniel feels disappointed with his wife. Knowing that Miranda only lets
the children wear his coats to play with dirt, hurts him. Natalie is only a little girl with an innocent thought. She loves her father so much and she does not want to
see her father sad. b. Cheerful
Natalie is a cheerful girl. Her actions and every statement that come from her mouth can make people laugh. There is one occasion that shows her cheerful
characteristics. When Natalie comes to her father’s apartment with her cheerful voice, she shouts to her father. She is very happy and excited because her mother
comes along with Christopher and her to visit their father. “Dadd—ee”
Daniel emerged from his freshly gleaming bathroom. “Surprise, surprise” he exclaimed. “And is Christopher with you?” “He’s
coming up with Mother.” p. 190
Another occasion is when her father receives a letter from their mother. Their mother tells that the children will stay on Friday night with her because on
Saturday morning they have to go for shopping. Actually, Daniel feels disappointed because that is the time for him to meet the children. Natalie tries to
amuse him with a song. “Anything she can buy, Dad can buy better
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“Dad can buy anything better than her” He held his hands out to Natalie, and swung her round in a circle, singing
raucously. Natalie reached for her father as she swung past him, and made him join in, too. To Daniel’s astonishment, Lydia join in of her own
accord. p. 15-16 With her cheerful characteristics, she can break the sad circumstance into a
happy one. The quotations above prove that her parents’ divorce does not give enormous influence to Natalie. She is still a cheerful girl with an innocent
thought. c. Tearful
A six-year-old child is easy to cry. She cries when someone tries to tease her
or something bad happens to her e.g. accident. She cries when her brother teases and mocks her. Once, when they visit their father, on the way to their father
apartment’s door they argue about who will give the letter to their father. Lydia and Christopher take the advantage of being tall.
So Christopher tucked the envelope down the top of her pinafore dress, behind the yellow felt ducklings. Natalie’s eyes filled with tears, and by
the time Daniel Hilliard opened the door to let his children in, she was weeping gently. p.3
Natalie always cries when his father does ridiculous things. She becomes afraid when her father starts to say unpleasant remarks with horrible expressing. It
happens when her father feels disappointed with her mother decision for giving him short time with the children.
“I could murder her. Truly I could Sometimes I think I could cheerfully slit her throat”
“No Daddy No” Natalie was off her chair in a moment. Tears scorching her cheeks, she hurled herself across the room, and beat fiercely with her
fists.
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Lydia was shocked. “Dad Really For God’s sake” p.12
On another occasion Natalie cries when her father does not allow the
children to go home while their mother is waiting for them inside the car. Natalie is afraid to see her mother angry. “Look at poor Natty She’s terrified already.
Two minutes her mother’s been waiting in the car and Natalie’s nearly in tears.” p. 38
Through the author’s description, the readers can see Natalie’s reaction on her parents’ behavior. She begins to cry when her father does weird behaviors.
Actually her father is only making a joke but Natalie thinks that her father does it seriously, for example when her father feels angry with her mother and says that
he will kill his wife by chocking her neck. Thus, the quotations above implicitly describe Natalie’s characteristics as a tearful child.
B. The Parents’ Divorce
