JWI Chapter 8 Summary

Since there is no summary of chapter 8 available in our Yahoo group, I decided to write one.

In Chapter 8, it's the first day of school for the Monagan kids. At first, DM is very relieved because he realises that because of school uniforms, there won't be any battles in the morning over what to wear.
But of course, he starts to worry. Will the kids be able to cope with Ireland's academic strictness, religiosity and the fierce attention to basics? He had looked at nine different schools before he chose to send his boys to the Christian Brothers College, a very prestigious private school.
DM describes the first day of school in Ireland as a "bizarre testament to the creativity of the Celtic spirit". Parents hand-deliver their children to school and cause a complete chaos on the streets by parking their cars everywhere because they want to embrace their offspring a last time. But unlike America, the people here don't get nervous or agressive because of the traffic jam that blocks the entire city, and for DM, this is a sign that Ireland has not tossed aside its implacable patience and forbearance.

When Jamie and David enter the school, they are in a way shocked. They expect one of those welcoming first-day-of-school-speeches (which is very common in America), but all they hear is a whistle which more or less tells the parents to leave now. Harris looks like he doesn't want to stay, and Jamie is a bit angry with DM because he chose that school.

Laura's first day at school is a lot less worrying. Laura immediately makes friends with a girl from England and doesn't even look back at her parents. This time, it doesn't need a whistle to make the two of them go away, they realise that their little girl is no longer their little girl.

There is also a lot of culture in this chapter. DM points out some differences between the Irish and the American School system.
Furthermore, one can learn a bit about the conflict between the Catholics and the Protestants in Ireland.