Geoff Character Analysis in Going Places

Geoff is Sophie’s older brother, the oldest child in the family. He is a mechanic who has a motorcycle, and (to Sophie, at least) this appears to give him freedom and a glamorous life. Sophie imagines that Geoff knows interesting people and travels to unknown parts of the city, and she hopes that he will bring her with him, helping her to escape her own life. However, the story presents details about Geoff that suggest that Sophie is projecting onto him: he is shy, for instance, so it’s unlikely that he has lots of secret friends, and he spends a lot of time at home. He does not share Sophie’s interest in aesthetics, fame, or fortune, and while Sophie imagines Geoff in stylish clothes, in real life his clothes are unfashionable. Geoff’s main interest seems to be the football player Danny Casey, which leads Sophie to claim that she is going on a date with him. She hopes that this will make Geoff admire her, and while it does pique his interest, the scheme ultimately fails. Presumably, she and Geoff will not get closer and he will not rescue her from her life, since Geoff seems not to be the person Sophie hopes that he is.

Geoff Quotes in Going Places

The Going Places quotes below are all either spoken by Geoff or refer to Geoff. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

She was conscious of a vast world out there waiting for her and she knew instinctively that she would feel as at home there as in the city which had always been her home. It expectantly awaited her arrival. She saw herself riding there behind Geoff. He wore new, shining black leathers and she a yellow dress with a kind of cape that flew out behind.

Related Characters: Geoff, Sophie

Page Number and Citation: 79

Explanation and Analysis:

This glimpse into Sophie’s fantasy life indicates what her ideal life might be. Some aspects of her fantasy are easily identifiable from what readers have already learned about her: she is drawn to fashion and freedom. Notably, though, she is not in the driver’s seat (so to speak) of her own fantasy: Geoff is the one rescuing her from her dreary life by whisking her away on his motorcycle. It’s totally understandable that Sophie would want to leave her home and find a new home out in the world (since her family life seems stifling and unpleasant), but it’s notable Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis.

There was a wooden bench beneath a solitary elm where lovers sometimes came. She sat down to wait. It was the perfect place, she had always thought so, for a meeting of this kind. For those who wished not to be observed. She knew he would approve.

Related Characters: Sophie, Danny Casey, Geoff, Sophie’s Father

Page Number and Citation: 83

Explanation and Analysis:

In this passage, Sophie has gone to wait for her (imagined) date with Danny Casey in a picturesque spot. There are a number of important elements in this quote. The bench is sometimes frequented by lovers, yet there is a solitary elm—a tree that has been alone for quite some time. This foreshadows how Sophie’s intention may be romantic or communal, but her reality is lonely. She also notes that this is a place for people who do not want to be seen, which is interesting because the entire point of the Danny Casey story was for other people (her Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Veli

I remember Geoff saying he would never come, and how none of them believed me when I told them. I wonder what will I do, what can I tell them now if he doesn’t come? But we know how it was, Danny and me — that’s the main thing. How can you help what people choose to believe? But all the same, it makes me despondent, this knowing I’ll never be able to show them they’re wrong to doubt me.

Related Characters: Sophie (speaker), Danny Casey, Geoff

Page Number and Citation: 84

Explanation and Analysis:

When Sophie realizes that Danny Casey is not coming for their date, she becomes distressed. This quote makes it very clear that Sophie is not upset about Danny Casey, but rather about her brother and her family learning that she made the story about Danny Casey up. It’s clear, then, that this fantasy was not primarily romantic: it was an attempt to impress her family and thereby earn their respect and admiration. As she does when she’s upset, Sophie moves into fantasizing about her and Danny knowing “how it was” as an attempt to comfort herself, but her main concern Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam cons

“Excuse me, but aren’t you Danny Casey?”

Coming through the arcade she pictured him again outside Royce’s.

He turns, reddening slightly. “Yes, that’s right.”

“I watch you every week, with my dad and my brothers. We think you’re great.”

Related Characters: Sophie (speaker), Danny Casey (speaker), Geoff

Page Number and Citation: 84

Explanation and Analysis:

As Sophie retreats back into her Danny Casey fantasy, readers learn more about the importance of this interaction for her. Her fantasy of Danny Casey is not excited about his fame; rather, when she approaches him he is embarrassed, not emboldened. It is again made clear that this fantasy is not just about Sophie, but about her family. She makes it apparent to Danny Casey that watching him play is a family affair, and that it is not just she who finds him great. Instead, she uses the word we, signifying that she is united with her family (which is Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste.

Geoff Character Timeline in Going Places

The timeline below shows where the character Geoff appears in Going Places. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...the corner.” Feeling a “tightening in her throat,” Sophie goes to find her older brother, Geoff. (full context)

Geoff, an “apprentice mechanic,” is in the next room working on a part of his motorcycle.... (full context)

Sophie also imagines that Geoff is secretly friends with “exotic, interesting people,” although she concedes that he is “quiet” and... (full context)

As Geoff works on the motorcycle, Sophie says “I met Danny Casey.” Geoff does not believe her,... (full context)

In the living room, Geoff tells their father about Sophie meeting Danny Casey. Their father turns his “thick neck” to... (full context)

In Geoff’s bedroom, which is full of posters of Danny Casey, Sophie swears Geoff to secrecy about... (full context)

“You do believe me now, don’t you?” Sophie asks Geoff. She watches him put on a “shiny and shapeless” jacket and wishes to herself that... (full context)

...their team wins with Danny Casey scoring the final goal. Sophie “glow[s] with pride” and Geoff is “ecstatic.” Their father goes to the pub to celebrate. (full context)

...wishes fervently that Danny Casey would come, but she feels “pangs of doubt.” She remembers Geoff telling her that Danny Casey “would never come” and “how none of them believed me... (full context)

...“hold up [her] head remembering how it was.” She imagines the “slow walk home” and Geoff’s “disappointed face” when she tells him Danny Casey didn’t come. He’ll slam the door, but... (full context)

Geoff Character Analysis

Geoff Quotes in Going Places

Going Places Quotes

Geoff Character Timeline in Going Places