Changing Feelings Towards Peter and Andrea in Once in a House on Fire E

Changing Feelings Towards Peter and Andrea in Once in a House on Fire 'Once in a house on fire' by Andrea Ashworth At the beginning of the Novel, A freak accident robbed Andrea of a loving father at the age of five. Her mother Lorraine, widowed at just twenty-five years old, was distraught, not least because she was left alone to raise Andrea and her younger sister Lauren ( also known as Laurie). By the time Andrea was six, she had a new 'father'... When the reader first meets Peter, it is difficult to contrive a clear opinion of him. He seems to show that he wants to be the children's "new daddy" by "lugging home bulging sacks of misshapen Mojos for my sister and I" He also appears to have a good relationship with his wife but we soon realise this is not so. A Jekyll and Hyde character, he swings between loving husband and father and violent, terrifying bully. Andrea would watch as her "mother smiled through his kissing compliments" but these soon turned into "vicious shouting matches which half the street could hear." The reader immediately feels anger towards Peter for his unjustifiable behaviour towards his family. But if you look at the quote, it is clear that it is a "match" which generally consists of two people or groups competing for supremacy. This shows that although Peter started the shouting, Andreas mother also played a part. This makes the reader feel annoyed. This is because although we feel that she should defend herself, she is contributing to the argument and therefore making it worse. Another incident showing how Lorraine contributed to an argument is when Peter comes home she has "got the kids cooking behind his back." and he is angry because he feels "she is lazing on her arse... ...What Peter has done is completely unexpected and brings out the Jekyll and Hyde element of his character. But for once, what he has done is neither loving nor hating. This reaction completely perplexes the reader. What this shows is that even though Peter is everything the reader thought in the first place, he is not as predictable and does not fit the stereotype. However this does not make the reader begin to like him but pity him even more. What is eventually clear is that although we do not think he intended it, Peter subconsciously started to, if not completely break the cycle he himself started. This is where the feelings of the reader can be divided. On one hand It could said this was just chance and it was Andrea who eventually broke the cycle or, it could also be said that they both played equal parts and eventually even Peter had, had enough.