The Little Girl — Important Questions

The father played and laughed with his children

Step 1: Kezia looked through a hole in the fence to observe the MacDonald family. Step 2: She saw them playing 'tag' in the evening with great joy. Step 3: 'The father with the baby Mao on his shoulders, two little girls hanging on to his coat pockets ran round and round the flower beds, shaking with laughter.' Step 4: She also saw the boys turn the hose on him while he tried to catch them, 'laughing all the time'. Step 5: This made her realize 'there were different sorts of fathers' - some who played and enjoyed with their children unlike her own father.

Her father came and took her to his bed

Step 1: Kezia was alone with Alice when mother and grandmother went to hospital. Step 2: She had her usual nightmare about 'the butcher with a knife and a rope'. Step 3: She woke up screaming 'Grandma! Grandma!' but found her father beside her bed with a candle. Step 4: He 'bent down and caught up the child in his arms, carrying her along the passage to the big bedroom'. Step 5: He tucked her up carefully and lay down beside her, showing his caring side for the first time in the story.

He had a big heart and worked hard for the family

Step 1: During the nightmare incident, Kezia experienced her father's gentle and caring side. Step 2: She realized 'Poor father, not so big, after all - and with no one to look after him'. Step 3: She understood that 'everyday he had to work and was too tired to be a Mr. MacDonald'. Step 4: When she put her head on his chest, she could hear his heartbeat and said 'What a big heart you've got, father dear.' Step 5: This shows her final understanding that her father did love her but expressed it differently due to his responsibilities and tiredness.

Her grandmother

Step 1: The story mentions that Kezia was kept indoors with a cold one day. Step 2: During this time, 'the grandmother told her that father's birthday was next week'. Step 3: The grandmother 'suggested she should make him a pin-cushion for a gift out of a beautiful piece of yellow silk'. Step 4: Grandmother was trying to bridge the gap between father and daughter by encouraging Kezia to make a thoughtful gift. Step 5: This suggestion, though well-intentioned, led to the major conflict when Kezia used the wrong materials to stuff the cushion.