"The Growing Pain of Adrian Mole" is a modern novel by an English writer named Sue Townsend. Since her novel "The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole" was a great success she decide to write a sequel.
This isn't the only sequel because we also have: "The True Confessions of Adrian Albert Mole", "Adrian Mole: From Minor to Major", "Adrian Mole: The Wilderness Years" and many more…
The novel is actually Adrian's diary and he writes every detail about his life in it, from his school troubles all the way to his house problems.
Adrian experiences many different emotions, he grows up and enters the adult world. He describes his relationship with his parents that are far from ideal and in the end he runs away from home. That kind of behavior is typical for a teenager. He felt the courage to stand up to his parents for the first time. Adrian describes his life in poorness and paints the image of a 80's family. All of the events are written from his perspective.
Adrian described his parents as careless people who don't take care of him and enjoy their vices. The reader can't right figure out what are the other characters feeling or thinking because we can only build a picture about others based upon Adrian's thoughts about them.
Even though his problems are very bad and complicated he manages to describe everything in a fun way. Most of the kids his age would be embarrassed to talk about such events but he makes the reader laugh and finish the book.
Also he gets involved with the questions of moral and social injustice. Parents should be the guidelines for their children and tell them what to do but Adrian understands that his parent's behavior is far from good and he knows on his own that he does not want to end up like them. He wants to stay faithful to Pandora and take care of her and his future family. He understands that cigarettes and alcohol aren't a good choice in life because they are a waste of money and they could leave him without his meals and clothes for school.
With his problems with growing up, acne, love, and relationship with parents many could identify.
Adrian also describes the state his country is because the Great Britain was fighting with Argentina over the Finland Islands. In that time Margaret Thatcher was in charge as the first women holding the name of a Great Britain's premiere. She was known as the iron lady because of her opinions and attitude. She wanted to take the islands with military force and anyone who perceived the islands as a part of Argentina were unaccepted in Britain. Argentina did lose in the end.
All of the events linked to these confrontations are described in the book along side with the story of Adrian's life.
Summary
The story leads us to the life of 15 years old Adrian Mole. His father wants to go to war against Argentina and Adrian was suffering with a model airplane that got glued to his nose. Pandora came to visit him (she's a few months older than him) but he couldn't come out looking like he did.
Pandora was his chosen one – a smart and beautiful girl from a good family. Barry Kent, his classmate, made fun of his because of his little accident and he was also his sworn enemy.
In the meantime the priest gave a statement about the war and Adrian didn't like it so he told his grandma he won't be going to church no more.
Adrian was talking to his father when he started to complain about his mother and the fact he married her. Adrian was going through a lot of toothache and his parents didn't even pay attention to it. In the end he went to the dentist and he pulled out his tooth.
Adrian's parents drank and smoked a lot and all of the money was spent on cigarettes and alcohol. Adrian has a strange relationship with his parents and they regret Adrian coming out the way he did. Pandora sent Adrian a letter saying she's leaving him and he also wrote her a letter but wanted to deliver it in person. When he came to her house he saw many luxurious cars and it seemed like a party was going on.
Adrian's mother was pregnant and he wasn't really happy about it. He received a letter from his American friend he met in Scotland and he told him that he was coming to visit. Adrian wasn't thrilled when he was around because he went out with Pandora. His mother Pauline Mole wanted to move out because she didn't think there will be enough room for the baby and also there was a suspicion that his father got another woman pregnant.
Adrian was set up on a date with Sharon Botts by his best friend Nigel. The date was a failure. Adrian and Pandora got back together and she came to his house very often. Once Adrian saw his father walking around with his mistress and he thought it was inappropriate. Adrian invited Pandora to go to Skegness with him and his parents. She said yes.
However, his parents asked her to pay for the trip, and her parents declined to do that so in the end she didn't go with them. Queenie Baxter, Adrian's neighbor, ended in the hospital and her husband Bert was very worried about her. They were older and Adrian took care of them many times. George and Pauline, Adrian's parents, were also worried what will happen to Berta when they go on vacation.
In the end they took the vacation but Adrian regretted it because he was bored all the time, He spent some time fishing with his dad and they visited a sports centre. While they were on vacation George told them that his mistress gave birth to a baby boy and that he was the father.
Pauline and George split up and he went back to his mother. Also his mistress came to live with him and he brought her two sons Maxwell House and George's child. Adrian got a letter from BBC saying that they like his song but that they will not publish it. Pandora went on vacation with her family and Adrian was left with the key to their place. Adrian got another letter from BBC saying they won't publish theysong and also stating that he has grown intellectually.
Adrian and Pauline lived hard because they had nothing to eat and Adrian overgrew his clothes. Pauline was denied for a loan in the bank because she didn't have a solid paycheck and her parents also told her they can't help her financially. They didn't show much sympathy for her and Adrian's bad condition.
Everything ended in the news because she told the public about the bank director not wanting to pay her off her check. Adrian visited his father an half-brother and he realized that his grandma wasn't really getting along with his father's mistress. Adrian was told by Bert that his father lost his job. Pauline gave birth to a girl and she was driven home from the hospital by George.
Adrian dedicated himself to his baby sister Rosie Germaine Mole. One night hism other got a phone call from a friend named Lucas and all Adrian heard is the two of them talking about some kind of a blood test. One day George's mistress waited for Adrian outside his school. She told him that she can't live with his father anymore and that she'll be moving in with her ex-husband that has money now and that she'll marry him as soon as he leaves his wife.
Queenie passed away and Bert was sad. Adrian felt weird entering their house.
Christmas was near and Adrian bought everyone gifts. Adrian and Pauline were visited by his aunt Susan and her friend Gloria. Adrian gave Pandora a golden necklace and she thought it was made from real gold but the next morning she woke up with a rash which prove that it wasn't real gold.
Adrian celebrated New Year with his mother, father, sister and Bert. Pauline and George decided to move back in together and Lucas called again. He told Adrian that he was Rosie's father. The next day he came to their house and George, Pauline and he had a fight about Rosie.
Soon a letter arrived which stated that Lucas will sue Pauline if she denies him the right to see his own daughter. The country's state was also bad because there was a high rate of unemployment and poverty. Adrian wrote a song about a school bathroom and the country and the poem got him kicked out of school for a week.
Pandora decided to end it with Adrian because he spent more time with his friends that her. A cop visited Adrian's parents and told them Adrian started hanging out with a gang led by Bert. Elizabeth Sally Broadway drew is attention in school.
Adrian started liking Elizabeth. His parents grounded him and wanted to make him study for his exams but he didn't want to take them. He decided to run away. Adrian wrote a letter and he ran away. He wandered for a day and a night but he didn't see a single thing about his disappearance in the newspaper. His birthday arrived and no one even called him.
He slept outside when the pastor's wife found him and offered him to call his parents and give him shelter.
Adrian came home but his parents weren't really thrilled about it. Doctor realized that Adrian suffered from depression and he was visited by Pandora and his grandma. Adrian went back to school and had to take the exams.
He drew apart from Bert Baxter and his gang. He received another letter from BBC saying his songs were declined but it didn't matter to him. The only thing that mattered was that he had Pandora and that she loved him.
Genre: modern novel
Place: Midlands, Great Britain
Time: April 4th,1982 – June 2nd,1983
Characters: Adrian Mole, Pandora Braithwaite, George Mole, Pauline Mole
Character's analysis
Adrian Mole – 15 years old boy that has problems with girls, acne, parents, bullies and so on. He is also tormented by questions about moral and social injustice. He asked himself why do grownups say one thing and do the different. He felt rejected by his parents because they always let him know that they're not satisfied with how he turned out to be. He worried about growing up and the life after finishing high school. He wrote poems but no one understood them, not even BBC who always declined his work. His relationship with his parents is not ideal and he only had one man to man talk with his dad. Even though he seemed cold on the outside Adrian was very sensitive and that side of him is shown in the relationship he had with Pandora and the way he took care of his little sister.
Pandora Braithwaite – smart girl and she is a few months older than Adrian. She is very compassionate and her family is rich unlike Adrian's but she never made a difference between the two of them. She loved and cared about Adrian.
George Mole – Adrian's father. He didn't take care of his son and unlike his wife George was very tidy and wanted his wife to take care of the house but she didn't actually do it. She fought with her a lot and regret the fact he ever married her.
Pauline Mole – Adrian's mother. She didn't have any aspirations to be a housewife and she was dedicated to herself and her look. She was unpleased with her relationship with he4r husband and the fought a lot. Both of them also drank and smoked a lot.
About the author: Sue Townsend
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