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Paddy Clarke
Quotes
Ha Ha Ha
Hello and Welcome to My Paddy
Clarke Report. Click on anything.
They are all links to pages with more
information. Yes the title is clickable too.
Author
Kyle Lundy
Back Cover Summary:
It is 1968. Patrick Clarke is ten.
He loves Geronimo, the Three
Stooges, and the smell of his hot
water bottle. He can’t stand his
little brother Sinbad. His best
friend is Kevin, and their names
are all over Barrytown, written
with sticks in wet cement. They
play football, lepers, and jumping
to the bottom of the sea. But why
didn’t anyone help him when
Charles Leavy had been going to
kill him? Why do his ma and da
argue so much, but act like
everything is fine? Paddy sees
everything, but he understands
less and less. Hilarious and
Poignant, Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha
charts the triumphs, indignities,
and bewilderment of a young boy
and his world, a place full of
warmth, cruelty, confusion, and
love.
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Quote 1
Quote 2
Quote 3
Quote 4
Quote 5
Theme:
After reading this novel i have found a revolving theme. In
the book “Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha” Roddy Doyle included ideas
about having to grow up. He choose this theme because he
wants people to know that no matter how long we try to hold it
off we will always be forced to grow up.
There are 5 quotes related to the theme and with that an
explanation as to why. Click on the quote you want to be
directed to.
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“We are being chased. I had to wait for
Sinbad. I looked back and there was no
one after us but I didn’t say anything. I
grabbed Sinbad’s hand and ran and
caught up with the rest of them.” (2)
Quote 1
This part of the book was great because Paddy was
able to feel the need to protect his brother. By grabbing his
brother’s hand he showed that he wanted to keep his
brother safe. Doing this it shows that there are things in
which he will have to do when he grows up and he accepts
the fact that he will have to do them. He knows he will have
to grow up and he knows that doing this will help him in
being a very protective grown-up brother.
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“That’s you growing up, you know, she
told him. You’ll be very tall.” (66)
Quote 2
At this part of the book Paddy was having
some pains in his legs. The mom said they were
growing pains and that he was going to grow-up
and be very tall. This was great for him to hear in
the fact that he will be getting older and having to
make more wiser and mature decisions in the
future for him.
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“He said that Sinbad would be doing
things like that when he was Kevin’s
brother’s age.” (115)
Quote 3
This was at one of times in which his dad came home late from
work, like always. Paddy was awake and they had a little talk.
Sinbad was in bed. Paddy’s father tells him of how Sinbad will be
able to stay awake when he is Kevin’s brother’s age. This is where
Paddy’s fins out that as you grow-up and get older you get more
responsibilities and more lenient activities. And with these
responsibilities you become a man.
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“I was still going to run away, even
without Sinbad or Charles Leavy. I’d
wanted Sinbad most, like in flight of the
Doves, me in charge, carrying my little
brother on my back when he was too tired,
through the ditches and the bogs, over
rivers. Looking after him.” (271)
Quote 4
Paddy wanted to run away for a while and when he
was being pressured at school he realized that he wanted
to run away so bad that he wanted to leave everyone
except one person. He wanted his brother Sinbad so he
could carry him through the hard times. Wanting to carry
his brother through these things Paddy has realized that
he wants to grow up and take care of someone like his
brother.
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“You’re the man of the house now,
Patrick…
Paddy Clarke
Paddy Clarke
Has no da.
Quote 5
Ha ha ha!
I don’t listen to them. They were only kids.
(281)
This is at the end of the book. Paddy was at school when his
mother picked him up and said, “You’re the man of the house now”.
He didn’t want to come to realize that he was left. But it became
something that will stick with him forever. But the worst part about
that was that the other kids made fun of the fact that his dad left him.
Paddy’s response to that was that they were only kids. At this time he
realizes that he no longer wants to be a kid and will finally become
what his dad placed upon him…a man.
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This book was very intriguing and although some parts were hard to
under stand I really felt like I was in the mind of a 10 year old. I know how
hard it can be to stay on one topic and go with that for a while. I really like
how Roddy Doyle portrayed this child and the abuse that he went through.
His parents gave him a lot of crap even though the problems that they were
all experiencing were really between the two parents. I would hate it if my
parents treated me just as bad as his parents treated him. I liked the fact
that I could grow up when and how I wanted to. When I was ready to do
something more I would just take it into my hands and do what I wanted. But
I guess I am just glad that I had the less abuse than Paddy’s family. There is
also another similarity between Paddy’s situation and mine. He had a
younger brother and I have a younger sister. Yes both Paddy and I want to
carry our siblings through the hard times and pick them up when they
couldn’t do something by themselves. I feel the same way he does about
wanting to protect the people around him. I loved how this book makes you
feel what he felt.
Personal
Connection
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Recommendation
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I would recommend this book people around the age
of 17-19. The book gives great ideas and ways of
thinking for people of this age. If you love topics that
change so often that you can’t focus. If you can get
passed the fact that the book is in the state of a 10 year
old than you have a good chance of learning what I
have learned from this book. People may have a hard
time reading this book because of how Roddy writes
this book. It may take a while to get into the book
because of how late it takes for it too pick up. But if you
can get into it I think that it’s a great book. From the way
the author writes this book you would have to pay
attention to the words and ideas that he portrays. I
would recommend his other books as well as I would
recommend this one as well even though there were
tough parts.
Author
Novelist, born in Dublin, Ireland. He studied at University College, Dublin, then
taught English and geography at a local school, and began writing in his spare
time. His first success came with The Commitments (1987), the first of the
internationally acclaimed Barrytown trilogy, which he completed with The
Snapper (1990) and The Van (1991). Later novels include Paddy Clarke Ha Ha
Ha (1993, Booker), The Woman Who Walked into Doors (1996), A Star Called
Henry (1999), Oh, Play That Thing (2004), and Paula Spencer (2006).
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Works Cited
Doyle, Roddy. Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha. New York:
Penguin Books USA Inc., 1995.
"Roddy Doyle Biography." Biography. A&E Television
Networks. 12 Apr. 2008
<http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9278
649>.
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