Tears, Idle Tears (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Elizabeth Bowen
- First Published: 1937
- Type of Plot: Coming of age
- Time of Work: The 1930's
- Setting: London
- Principal Characters: Mrs. Dickinson, Frederick, A young woman
- Genres: Social realism, Short fiction
- Subjects: Mothers, Parents and children, 1930’s, England or English people, London, Widows or widowers, Zoos, Ducks
- Locales: London, England
The Story
Seven-year-old Frederick bursts into tears in the middle of Regent's Park on a beautiful, sunny May afternoon as he and his mother are on their way to the zoo. His elegantly dressed mother is mortified at his crying, yet it is her reproach that draws the attention of the passing people to the scene. She has been so troubled by her son's frequent crying that she is unable to speak about it with any of her friends or relatives. Once she had started to write to a mother's advice column for assistance but never sent the letter because she could not think of the correct...
[The entire page is 1510 words long]
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