Billy’s Tall Story begins with his mother bringing him breakfast in bed. He has bacon and egg and bread and a ‘big pot of tea’. But in actual fact Billy doesn’t get much breakfast at home, for this reason he has to steal and evade, even his own brother: – ‘Billy bolted it into his mouth, slid off his chair and turned it over as soon as Jud came for him’ And he also steals from his employer, an old newspaper shop owner: – ‘Billy reached out and lifted two bars of chocolate from a display table at the side of the counter’
He even steals from a Milk Float that his sees in the morning on his paper round Billy even has a secret pocket sewn into the inside of his coat to make stealing easier for him. So there is no wonder that Billy decides to include food in his Tall Story, as it is one of the main needs of a person. He describes is ideal home in great detail and it is exactly the opposite of his own house. He wishes he had carpet on the stairs and in the hall. This must mean that Billy doesn’t already have carpet in these places.
Also in Billy’s Tall Story, he talks about his older half-brother Jud. He mentions that when he comes downstairs, he asks his mother where Jud was and she tells him that he has gone to join the army and puts him at ease by telling him how his father has returned once again. This shows us that Billy doesn’t like Jud, so much so that he would throw him out of his ideal life by sending him to the army. Billy mentions the army for no obvious reason, except for the fact that it is just an excuse to get out of his life. The simple truth is that Billy doesn’t want Jud around.
And quite frankly I don’t blame him. Jud makes Billy’s life a living hell. He torments and hurts him physically and mentally in every way that you can imagine. This instance below is a classical example:- ‘He rushed over to the settee and jumped astride Billy, pushing his face into the cushions and forcing one arm up his back in a half-nelson’ And Jud doesn’t take any of Billy’s health hazards into consideration… “Gi’o’er, Jud, tha breaking my arm! ” – Billy One major part in his tall story is the fact that his father returns.
Billy talks about how his mother gives up her job and they all live as one happy family again. He talks about they do what all the other families do, like go to the pictures and have ice cream at the intervals. So in other words, Billy wants everyone to treat him with love and care and look after his well-being. Billy mentions how he goes to school and all the teachers were good to him and asked him how he was doing at school and patted him on his head. This, quite clearly what Billy expects from his teachers but the mere fact is that they couldn’t care less about him.
Billy demands attention and affection from the teachers in the school. Even a “Good Morning, Billy” would not go amidst in Billy’s books. He also mentions that when he comes home from school, he has chips and beans for his tea. Well, it’s no secret that even the poorest people can afford chips and beans for their tea. So why has Billy included this in his Tall Story? Bill quite clearly doesn’t get even the basic meals and this causes him to long for these things. Overall, Billy’s Tall Story is very basic. It includes all the things that other kids take for granted.
He longs for his father to return, while kids who have a father to look up to don’t even think about. He asks for bare necessities such as a carpet in his house to walk on, which again, most people wrongly take for granted, and quite plainly, if Billy had these basic provisions it would boost is confidence to the highest degree. He is, without a doubt, gravely displeased with his present lodgings. He longs to live in a bigger house to live in. He sees a house in an area called Moors Edge, where he does his daily newspaper round.
He couldn’t make the fact that he doesn’t want his half-brother Jud around any clearer. He just wants all the things that normal kids his age have, nothing more. He wants a loving family who think the world of him and show it. He wants his teachers to treat him right and not to lash out at him all the time. He wants a pleasant home to live. He wants proper food on the table and wants to be able to give up stealing which he did to solely survive. Reading about Billy’s daily lifestyle and how it differs from the majority of the population almost brings a tear to they eye.
