Boy: A Sketch

"Boy: A Sketch" by Marie Corelli is a story set in the late 1800s about a young boy called Boy, living in a home filled with chaos caused by his neglectful parents, Captain the Honourable D'Arcy-Muir and Mrs. D'Arcy-Muir. The story looks at ideas of childhood, what parents should do, and the difference between being innocent and living with bad influences. The story begins with Boy in his feeding chair, watching the mess around his home and trying to understand his father's drunken behavior, whom he calls "Poo Sing." Even though his life is hard because of his father's bad actions and his mother's laziness, Boy shows a lot of kindness and a simple way of looking at the world, finding peace interacting with the kind Miss Letitia Leslie, called “Kiss-Letty,” who takes an interest in Boy's untapped potential. As she thinks about adopting him, the lines between his old life and the chance for a better future get unclear, setting the stage to explore what his future might hold.