“Compass and Torch”
In Elizabeth Baines’, “Compass and Torch”, an eight year old boy, ready for the camping trip with his father that he has not seen in four months, listens as his mother mocks the idea of camping on a mountain side with an eight year old that his father cannot relate to, to her new boyfriend Jim. As the boy is packing for his trip, he comes into the kitchen with his torch and reluctantly hands it to Jim, who checks it to make sure it is in working order for the boy. Throughout the story’s entirety, the central theme ...