My Impression On the Loner and the Children

I think that the Loner is an insecure, anti-social boy as he treats the Wall as his place of refuge. The Wall is the boy's friend and it gives him a sense of security. He does useless activities to keep himself entertained but he still feels immensely bored.

"Smacks his hands against the bricks

And other boredom-beating tricks,

Traces patterns with his feet

Scuffs to make the tarmac squeak,"

He goes to the playground often and leans against the same wall. He watches the children play but never asks if he can join them. I think that this is because he has a sense of longing to play with the children but he does not know how to approach them.

I think that the children are very active, lively and energetic as they play games very often. Even though they have the occasional tussle, they manage to put aside their troubles and their differences to come together and play their favourite games.

"The playground’s quick with life,

The beat is strong.

Though sharp as a knife

Strife doesn’t last long."

Even though these children love to have fun, they do not invite and do not enjoy the company of "outsiders". These children are contented to stay in their own cliques and they do not socialize with people outside their cliques; such as the Loner. These children even gossip about the boy, and by doing so, they are simply disregarding his feelings. However, I think that this may be because the children are intimidated by him. The Loner is always alone and always leans against the playground wall. Even though he wants to play, he does not ask the children if he can join them. This may lead the children to think that the Loner is anti-social and simply does not want to be bothered.