On The Late Bus, by Susan Engberg, is a story about a young girl traveling to her other parents. She encounters a man, which somehow changes her life, and her way of thinking with different situations. Alison’s mood throughout most of this story seems to be melancholy, and extremely sarcastic, for two main reasons. She has been moved between her mother’s house and father’s house, and doesn’t seem to be coping well with the divorce of her parents. I know that she feels unwanted in both homes, and carries this feeling of being excluded. Her mom has recently had a child and puts all the attention on the newborn baby. “Sorry it didn’t work out…”(Susan Engberg, #288) was a comment by her mother to Allison that affected her a great deal. Most of the day, Allison kept repeating this phrase in her mind, trying to analyze the meaning.
It becomes evident that Allison’s life isn’t as happy as most of our lives should be. When she encounters the man on the bus, her first impression of him isn’t very positive. All of us have first bad impressions of people, but we can’t ignore people for that reason. Everyone should be given a legitimate chance, and that is what Allison was having a difficult time doing. As she sat on the bus listening to him, Allison heard him talk about events in his life, and began to realize that they both shared a common problem of living a difficult life. She started to think about how she might be able to change her life.
The Essay on A Bus Station Scene
It was in the afternoon. I was heading towards the bus station with my best friend to attend Mr Lam’s Physics class. It was a very hot day. The sun was beating mercilessly on my back and I could feel my sweat trickling down my spine. I have often wished that my mother would drive me to school. She is always so busy with household chores that she cannot spare any time to send me to school. ...
I think that one main theme in this book, is to give yourself the opportunity to meet new people and to allow them a chance to share of themselves, their thoughts, and experiences. Don’t be so quick to judge on first impressions. No one ever knows how that one person can change your life forever, especially in Allison’s situation.
