MEANING OF LINES

Stanza 1

 The persona is questioning her mother about the mysterious and sudden disappearance of Lulu. An
old rag doll and a shoe was left behind

Stanza 2
 The persona saw that the windows are wide opened and the curtains are "flapping free" in the
wind. The persona also notice her money-box on the dusty shelf is gone.

Stanza 3

 The persona asks the mother why she is hiding her tears. The mother crumples up a note (most
probably from Lulu) and throws it into the fire. Mother then tells her child that it is nothing at all. The
persona does not believe her.

Stanza 4
 The persona tells that she was awakened by "voices late last night" and heard the sounds of an
"engine roar", probably a car starting up and being driven away. The mother lies that the child was only
dreaming.

Stanza 5
 The persona insists that she had heard someone cry "in anger or in pain". The mother says it was
just "a gust of rain".

Stanza 6
 Puzzled about the mother's distraught behaviour, the narrator wants to know why the mother
is pacing about, uncertain what to do. The use of "Lu" is an affectionate shortened form of "Lulu

SUMMARY
It is a poem told in a child’s voice about his older sister running away.
A child is asking his mother what has happened to his sister, Lulu. There is nothing in her room, and
her money-box has gone, with only an open window and an old rag-doll left behind. His mother is
crying and burning a note. He thinks he heard voices and a car in the middle of the night, but his
mother tells him he was only dreaming.

PERSONA
 The ballad is recounted from the unlimited is either the younger sister or brother of Lulu
 The persona is observant, inquisitive and precocious – asks question bout Lulu based on sharp
observation of Lulu’s room and the mother’s distraught behaviour.
 Through the child’s voice, the reader is drawn to make intelligent conclusions about the drama
in the poem

TONE AND MOOD

· Tone : confusion
· Mood : sadness, irony

LANGUAGE AND STYLE

· Written in six stanzas of four lines each; second and fourth lines rhyme
· Regular and simple form fits the voice of the narrator/persona, a young child
· Literary devices : rhetorical questions, imagery, alliteration, onomatopoeia, contrast,
symbolism.
SETTING

Place
 Lulu's room
 The fireplace

Time
 In the past

THEMES

1. The end of childhood and the loss of innocence

 Lulu is probably a young teenager.
 She ran away based on the note that her mother crumpled.
 She took her savings "money-box" to start a new life with a man who drove her off
in a "engine roar".
 She left her childhood behind.

2. Parent-child relationship
 The mother and Lulu relationship could have been a tense and strained one.
 Lulu is a rebellious teenager.
 She dislikes her mother's restrictions on her freedom and emerging interest in
the opposite sex.
 She keeps secrets from her mother.
 The mother and narrator relationship is less dramatic.
 The narrator is obedient and respectful to the mother.
 The narrator loves the mother very much and observe her pain and distress.

3. Grief and love

 The mother is grieving over the loss of her child, Lulu.
 The mother clearly loves Lulu.
 The narrator loves the sister as she called her by pet name "Lu".
 The narrator is worried about the sudden disappearance of the elder sister

Moral Values/Lessons
 We must love our family members and appreciate them
Both parents and children should express love and appreciation in tangible and non-
tangible ways. This help to build a loving, united family.

 We must respect and obey the elderly in our family

Children have to be obedient and respect their parents who brought them into this world.
Children owe this to their parents who sacrifice a lot for their sake.

 We must be honest to our family members

Honesty is important for creating basic trust and thus a more loving, harmonious home.
Children must also be honest with their parents. Keeping secrets especially in making
important life choices can have a negative consequences.

 We must have responsibility towards our family members

Parents have their right to curb the freedom of their children as they are their providers,
carers and life teachers. Children must also realise that freedom comes with responsibility.
Boundaries are necessary for their own safety.