The Birthday Present
The class will be divided into groups of 4 and each group will be required to present
their interpretation on the following questions. Each group will also be required to
develop a handout summarising their main points – this will be provided to the class to
assist with their understanding of I for Isobel. Remember to include page numbers as
reference when constructing your handout.
1. We are introduced to Isobel at age nine and we quickly learn that her birthday has never
been celebrated or even acknowledged. Explain the importance of birthdays and the
relevance of this in I for Isobel – you should explain what long-term effect this lack of
recognition may have had on Isobel and how she learns to cope with the pain of
rejection (even at age nine). You may also like to consider the metaphor of the ‘missing’
birthday present (link to the cognitive development study) and her sense of self-worth
when she finally is given a present from her mother.
The importance  growth, recognition, aging, socialisation, self esteem
‘Presents didn’t matter so much if life had these enchanting surprises that were free to everyone’
The effect
And how she learns to cope  talking to the tree and spending her birthday in Baker Street, building the walls
(Lady of Shallot), her reaction to the half penny (she gives up, isolates herself)
‘What a lucky thing that she had found this new place (Sherlock homes) to spend her birthday there’ relates to
the her reading Sherlock Holmes for the first time
‘Birthdays injustices, parents all vanished’ by reading the books. Example of how she isolates herself like the
Lady of Shallot
2. Whilst it is clear that Mrs Callaghan does not treat Isobel properly, we do not ever learn
the cause of her resentment towards her youngest daughter. On p.43, Isobel comments
that she had to ‘witness her mother’s sufferings, which were real and ludicrous’ which
implies not only that Mrs Callaghan suffers from some form of mental illness, but also
that Isobel does not yet feel angry at her mother. What evidence is there in Part One that
Isobel does not hate her mother? Explain how this is different to Isobel’s feelings about
Mrs Callaghan in Part Five by referencing and explaining relevant quotations. How
would you describe Mrs Callaghan? Support your opinion with quotations.
In part one of the novel, despite all the abuse towards Isobel by her mother, it is evident
that Isobel does not hate her. In the event of Mrs Callaghan saying “she’s spoilt enough
already!”(pg 15) and the adults at the table give her a “glare of indignation” (pg 15). Isobel
feels sorry for her mother as she can relate to the feeling of being judged or made to feel as
though she should be ashamed for something she had said or done; “Isobel felt an ache of
sympathy, knowing how it felt to be the last to be chosen, or even left out of the game” (pg
16).
In part five of the novel, although Isobel recognises that her mother had a troubled past and
struggled with mental health issues; “you could shed a tear for them too” (pg 165), she does
not forgive her for her actions. As Isobel uncovers the facts of her childhood, she begins to
accept herself and acknowledge that she was a child who was innocent and didn’t deserve
the torment from others: “she looked back at the waddling figure with a new tolerance” (pg
166) and “Isobel Callaghan, pick on somebody your own size” (pg 171) and “all the
miserable self-images were invention” (pg 171). Through this she realises that the walls she
built to protect herself from being hurt were a result of her mother’s continuous mental and
physical abuse; “years of terror” (pg 174). This recognition that Mrs Callaghan ruined
Isobel’s childhood and innocence causes Isobel to view her with hatred; “spiteful tormenting
bastards” (pg 177). In part one of the novel, Isobel is understanding and forgiving of her
mother for her actions as she feels they are justifiable whereas in part five, Isobel realises
she never deserved the treatment her mother gave her and despises her for ruining her
childhood.
Mrs Callaghan is a troubled woman with an unknown but clearly disturbed past; “a strange
woman in some ways” (pg 176). Her contradictory treatment of her daughters, Isobel is
abused whilst Margaret is praised, suggests her cruel intentions to hurt Isobel. Her mental
and physical abuse towards Isobel shows her aggressive and nasty conscience that may
be a result of her past experiences.
3. What are your impressions of Isobel’s father? Do you believe that he is similarly as
responsible as Mrs Callaghan for destroying Isobel’s sense of self? Remember, in order
to find identity and grow, one needs to feel safe – particularly a child. Explain the role of
Isobel’s father and your opinion of him in the context of the title of the novel I for Isobel
and what it suggests about who advocates for Isobel. You should support your opinion
by referring back to Part Five and what Isobel finally understands about her parents.
Isobel’s father is an aloof and absent character whose passive personality gives the impression that he is
weak and irresponsible when it comes to standing up for Isobel who constantly suffers from her abusive
mother. Furthermore, the omission of his name encourages the perception that he, like Isobel, lacks an
identity.
While Mrs Callaghan plays an active role in stripping Isobel of an identity and tormenting her throughout her
childhood, her father is equally as guilty. Initially believing that her father had died too soon to disprove his
love for her, she finally realises and admits to herself that “he had been just as bad”. His apathy and
indifference leave Isobel vulnerable and alone in standing up to her mother when, being a father, he should
have protected Isobel from her mother’s abusive and destructive behaviour. The resentment she feels mainly
stems from her father’s failure to advocate for her when her mother torments her. For Isobel, a young girl who
struggles to find belonging, the lack of support from her father solidifies her belief that she was isolated and
alone in this world. Throughout her childhood and even into her young adult years, Isobel longed to feel
nurtured, supported and cared for; however, Isobel ultimately recognises that she does not need to rely on
others for support and that she can advocate for herself, hence the title “I for Isobel”.
4. What sort of person did Isobel “long to be” and how did she go some way in achieving
this at such a young age? Why did she long to be this way? In your response, you must
cite the quote from Sherlock Holmes and A Case of Identity. You must also make links to
Part Five of the novel and how Isobel is finally able to overcome her self-imposed
isolation – metaphors may help you to explain your point-of-view (i.e. She learns she no
longer needs to be defined by her mother, she finds her identity – the book, the
telephone box, the wallpaper / embroidery, the baby on the baking dish, the poem about
Smoke, the writing pad).
Isobel wanted to be safe and protected like the lady of shallot who is cursed from going out
into the world and Isobel feels the same in that she feels that if she goes out into the world she
has to pretend to be someone she is not, in order to gain respect and acceptance. Similarily to
Lady Shallot, Isobel feels totally unsatisfied by the idea of isolating herself from others as she
protects herself by the walls and the books, although she is terrified from letting anyone in
because she feels rejected and in pain. Books gave Isobel not only protection, but a sense of
belonging as she found acceptance from characters in the book. Isobel longs to fit in. Isobel
reads books to escape from reality, and hide away into a realm of imagination. Isobel finds this
in Sherlock Holmes “case of identity”; “life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mid of
man could invent” the irony of the title “case of identity” reflects Isobel’s journey to find herself
and who she really is as Sherlock holmes is solving the problem of identity, believing that
there is no such thing as being the same as everyone is strange and different and everyone
belongs. Therefore Isobel feels accepted when she reads the novel as she belongs in this world
of Sherlock holmes. “Birthday’s, injustice, parents all vanished.
By going back to her childhood in part 5 she finally overcomes her self-imposed isolation as
she finally understands what happened and why it happened. The whole of her life she has felt
worthless and undeserving of happiness yet she realises that the parents where a source of this
pain and she now feels a sense of freedom and acceptance as she understands what it wasn’t
herself that was the problem. Therefore, this leads her to realise who she really is- a writer,
and the parents were a barrier to this realisation which gave her a distorted view on the world.
Isobel realises that some did actually believe in her- such as ms adams who wanted to give her
a book so she can write. Isobel realises she doesn’t need books to protect her from the
world.“the book is gone” as she finds identity in being a writer than a book itself.
All groups must also respond to the following question:
- In what way will Isobel ‘be wearing [the brooch] all her life’? You must explain the metaphor and
what you have interpreted it to mean. You may also like to look through Part Five to support your
response.
The brooch was a moment of defiance for Isobel as it symbolises her overcoming the power and
control of her mother. “she stood, admiring it” “pinned it carefully”