In The Whole Family, chapter ten and chapter eleven are written in two different styles of writing from the perspectives of two different people. Each paragraph is competing with the other for the romantic ending of the story. Chapter ten sets up a twist on the earlier chapters for Peggy and Dr. Denbigh to have a serious love affair using the accounts of a young boy. Chapter eleven denies the love affair between Peggy and the doctor and foreshadows a completely new idea for an ending.
Chapter ten is narrated by a young boy, Billy. This whole chapter is Billy writing a report for Lorraine about everything he knows about Peggy and Harry Goward. There are many occasions when the narrator gets completely off subject. These tangents emphasize the fact that a young boy is narrating this chapter. During an account of a certain situation involving Peggy and Dr. Denbigh, instead of getting straight to the point, the narrator goes into a detailed story about "putting a worm down Peggy's back" (245).
Cross of Lorraine
Peggy (Kackmeister) Manternach in WACS circa 1944
Peggy,_Marseille37.JPGThis later story had absolutely nothing to do with the story at hand. This chapter also alludes to the fact that Alice does not know anything Billy is writing to Lorraine. "Won't their be a circus when Alice finds out that I've known things she didn't" (263).
There are also Shakespearean references in this chapter. Dr. Denbigh calls Billy "Horatio," a famous character in Hamlet (256). In this play, Horatio was the only person who knew the truth about Hamlet's father. Dr. Denbigh calling Billy this name says Billy is the only person who knows Peggy and Dr. Denbigh's secret. Billy also has a pony a named "Hotspur" (260). Hotspur was a character from Henry IV. His nickname was Hotspur because he was fierce in battle and...