The Sin Bin or Lucy's Heart

The Sin Bin or Lucy's Heart

By Lucy Cross

Lucy Cook is an ordinary confused teenage girl and with all the problems that comes in that phase. She Lives in Wales, Cardiff, she's an insecure geeky girl, praised by her teachers. She's almost the brainiest girl at her school a straight A-student, and does whatever her mother tells her to do. She is struggling with a dilemma of "being cool" or being true to herself. She wants to fit in and be cool, like any other teenager. The entire story is seen from Lucy's point of view and therefore told in first person narrator.

The story starts with Lucy is sitting in detention, for the first time, for punching Penny Jones, an old friend she used to be close with. But her new best friend Bethan Preece pressured her into doing it. She had to do it, because she had to show her loyalty, and that no one stands in the way of their friendship. Her teacher Mr. Paterson is shocked to see her in detention, because he never took her for a violent type. We get the impression that Lucy didn't want to hit Penny, but she felled like she had to, in order to stay friends with Bethan. Bethan is Lucy's role model, the toughest girl at her school, and everybody looks up to her in some way. She doesn't want to disappoint her, so Lucy is under peer pressure for the respect of being friends with Bethan. But the friendship has it's at the expense of Lucy's moral.

Bethan is not the only thing that troubles her. Since Lucy also struggles with a controlling mother who won't let her use make-up and doesn't think Bethan is appropriate company for her and she won't realize that Lucy isn't a little girl anymore. Bethan's bad mannered and week personality influence Lucy to change, to bad habits like smoking, wearing make-up and break the rules. She tries to acquire the same behavior like Bethan. The more she let her influenced as she grows older she will leave her mother's wishes.

While Lucy is sitting in detention, she occupies herself by drawing hearts that reflects her emotional situation. "My heart is rubbish. I push much too hard on the paper for some bits and then back right off for others. It's a mess of really dark and really light" (p.35, 11.1-2) She breaks the paper as she draws, while thinking about the situation of her violent behavior and because she uses a too hard pencil. She asks for a new one. The following drawing turns out a lot prettier and more realistic, as she chooses a softer pencil and starts drawing a soft heart with nice lines. That could represent her innocent when she was young.

"Do you want this for your portfolio, Lucy?" he asks. "It's very good." "No, just chuck it." (p.37, ll.32-36) When the detention is over and Lucy is allowed to go, Mr. Paterson suggest that Lucy keeps the