The Locket Worksheet

Many people at some point in their life will be forced to make a decision that will have an everlasting effect on their life. The choice they make is often unclear and is common to be met with uncertainty. In the short story The Locket by Ernest Buckler, Buckler develops the idea that these difficult decisions are often influenced by emotions like fear of what might be missed if the wrong decision is made rather than the more logical predictable path already laid ahead. In the short story, David is making his choice on whether or not to board the train and head to an unlikely destination and future as opposed to staying home and living a simple and secure life. In the end, his choice to board the train is largely one of emotion and his desire to discover his own

653) This shows that he is scared of the reality of the situation and is almost trying to hide it from himself as he does from his parents and brother. Furthermore, David is scared of what his parents may think of the situation as he expresses his parents' view that “...any other place in the world… would be… [a] shameful lie.” (pg. 653) On top of that, he expresses the difficulty speaking to his father describing their minds as “...not moving alongside each other.” (pg. 653) Giving David evermore reason to simply not tell his parents as even if he did they would simply not understand his desire. This is what brings him to speak openly with his grandmother as he believes that if anyone was to understand she would as her stories are one of the factors influencing David to leave. He also believed that she could then explain his reasoning to his family “Far better than [he]” (pg. 653) ever could as she is a person “...who can tell things.” (pg. 653) Throughout the story, David is