Lockie Leonard Questions

   1.    How has the latest chapter contributed to the plot of the story?              In the last couple of chapters the plot of the story has changed a lot. No longer did Lockie feel like an ‘invisible’ student that had just started at a new school but he became important now, having a girlfriend-Vicki Streeton. He also gets his first kiss. The fact that he now had a girlfriend seemed to change his life around. Students start to talk about him. In addition, after Lockie receives a wet suit for his birthday from his family, John East, the guidance officer, suggests that Lockie starts up a surf club which Lockie thinks about, which adds to further the plot.   

2.    What does the title say about where the story is heading?

The title of the first chapter we read was ‘I Should Be So Lockie’. I think the chapter title was very appropriate, since Lockie got teased by Vicki who sang ‘I Should Be So Lockie’ to him, quoting the lyrics of the Kylie Minogue song about love. It was in this chapter that their relationship commenced with Lockie receiving his first kiss from Vicki. The second chapter we read was called ‘Somebody’ which again suggests the fact that by becoming Vicki’s girlfriend he actually becomes someone that can be identified by others and he gets noticed at school. John East also instils the idea that he could become the leader of a new surf club which would give Lockie more exposure and meaning to his life. 

3.    Are there any changes of tense in the chapter?

In the chapter ‘I should be so Lockie’ the chapter starts off in the past tense in the opening paragraph and then is all in present tense as Lockie and Vicki carry out their conversation.In the chapter ‘Somebody’ the tense changes from past to present then past to present again as Lockie’s experience at school is conveyed. 

4. Have any of the characters changed and if so, how have they? 

Yes, Lockie has definitely changed as after these two chapters he feels more important and finds a new identity in the fact that he is Vicki’s boyfriend .The boyfriend of the smartest, prettiest, richest girl in class. 

5.What themes or key ideas are being addressed in the chapter?     

In the chapter ‘I should be so Lockie’ it looks at the stereotypes people create from the look of a person. For example, Vicki identifies Lockie as the typical young surfie stereotype, when in fact Lockie loves surfing but he does not behave in exactly the way one regards a young surfie. The theme would be: that you cannot judge a book by its cover. Even though Vicki recognises Lockie as the surfie type character that she hates, he is different and she likes him. In the chapter ‘Somebody’ it addresses the wonderfulness of love and how it makes you feel. Lockie felt important and noticed. It also carries the theme that you don’t know of how things will turn out unless you try .The suggestion of starting a surf club makes Lockie a little uncertain but in fact, it turns out in the novel to be one of his greatest accomplishments.