A Decision Made

Novel, Catch Us If You Can – A Decision Made

Using the details of the novel you have studied.
•  describe a decision made by any one character in the novel
•  do you think the decision was a wise one?
Support your answer with evidence from the novel.

SAMPLE ANSWER

In the novel „Catch Us If You Can‟ by Catherine MacPhail, I would choose the decision made by Rory, when he decided to get Granda out of Rachnadar and run away.

After the death of his mother, Rory lived with his grandparents. When his grandmother died, his grandfather, whom he called Granda, looked after him. Rory and Granda were very close to each other that they had become inseparable. When Granda became sick and his memory began to fail, it was Rory‟s turn to look after Granda. One day, Granda accidentally set fire to their flat. This brought the authorities to step in. Finding Granda and Rory incapable of taking care of each other, they sent Granda to an old folks‟ home, while Rory was sent to a children‟s home in Castle Street. The authorities had no choice but to do this for the safety of both Granda and Rory. Granda might pose a danger not only to himself and Rory but to those around him.

Rory felt he was wrongly torn away from his Granda. Furthermore, Rory knew that Granda hated being in Rachnadar, the old folks‟ home, and Rory himself hated it in Castle Street. So he made the decision to run away with Granda so they could be together.

I can understand Rory‟s position but I do not see it as a wise decision. In the first place, he was too young to make a huge decision like this. At his age, he should have thought about school. He should realize that he was incapable of taking care of his old and sick 

grandfather. Granda was too old and frail to go on such a challenging and demanding journey. Moreover, Granda needed his pills to sustain him. Besides, Rory did not know where he was going to. Where could they go when they had no place and no one to care for them? Rory, too, asked himself the question whether it was a wise decision. People may say that those who love each other must stay together but this is based only on emotion. I think Rory made the decision because he had no one else in his life. It was not only because he loved Granda so much, but also because he did not know how to live without his Granda because all this while, Granda was always there for him.

To make decisions, we must be objective. We must think rationally. Seeing the unpredictability of things and the health condition of Granda, and Rory‟s immaturity, I strongly feel that Rory made an unwise decision in running away.