SECRETS by Bernard MacLaverty

In this short but poignant story Bernard MacLaverty introduces us to a young high school student whose great-aunt Mary, who lives with his family, is dying. The boy returns from studying at his girlfriend's house to join his relatives gathered at the house for the final vigil over the dying old lady. In a series of flashbacks we learn that great-aunt Mary often read to the boy as a child. Later, when he starts collecting stamps, she allows him to steam old postage stamps from a large collection of postcards she keeps locked in a desk in her room. There are also some packets of letters in her desk which the boy is not allowed to touch. Overcome by curiosity, the boy waits until his great-aunt leaves the house for Evening Devotions then goes into her room. Finding the keys in a drawer, he opens her desk and begins reading the forbidden letters. This is when we learn the great secret in the life of this reserved and dignified old lady who never married ....

----------------------------------

before the boy's great-aunt die, he did the unforgivable thing .what did he do??

Mary is his aunt, is dying.when she is good, she told him many fairytales very often. his hobby is collecting stamps.

when he steamed them,he asked her,"who is Brother Benigus? her ansered "he is a friend."

sunday evening, she went to the church to pray. while she pray,he came into the her sitting room. and he read the her many letters behind her back.......

according the letters, Mary loved bro.and bro loved too.but the war destroyed their relationship....

when she came back, she snapped,"what are you doing?"he was found. "get out!!" she shouted. it was the last words which she said him when she is living.

she died. he did the worst thing for her.

i sympathy for mary. because if i were her, i can'tforgive. i think that it was bad for her to read the letters. the letters were her the most important thing. it's like a precious thing for her. although she died, he should do something. he will not forget the unforgivable thing. he never.....

By kamekame

-----------------------------------------

We finally finished the story of secret. It never occurred to me that Mary had such a sad secret.

Wars break up everything even peoples' hearts. It made John and Mary be apart and John sick. They loved and needed each other.John kept writing to Mary from where he was during the war. They wanted the war to be over as soon as possible, then John can go home and see Mary.But the days keeps him watching dying people made him give up his love. It must have been very difficult decision for him and Mary.

If I were Mary, I could not tell about him to someone else. It is too sad to say it to someone and I want to keep the memories of him only in my mind.I don't want someone to make them dirty. That is why she did not forgive the boy who read the letters from John even though she said not to do it.

John and Mary never get married to each other but they kept on getting touch each other. I think Mary loved John until when she died. And John, too.

I think the boy should have said that he was so sorry for what he did. He might have been too young to understand what he did ti Mary. But he will know it in the future and keep feeling so sorry for it until he dies. He should.

We are so happy because we are living a peaceful country and most of us don' t have to worry about death.

I can tell there were a lot of people who lost people they loved a lot for the war. We should know and learn what happened in the past like the boy. And keep on doing something to get peace of world.We should never break out wars.

That is what we can do for the people who had sad life for the war.

By Miffy

------------------------------------

I didn’t have any clue what this story is about when I started to read it, but as I read it through and when I found that this story is about world war one, I found it difficult to read.
I never liked to read a book about war, I just couldn’t face the fact that thousands of people had been killed, for not their own will but their country’s. “Growing future” I liked to read it because that was fiction and no one’s life was taken away in real life. ( I still feel sorry for Patricia, poor girl will fine her rotten man in the trunk.)

I understand why the boy wanted to read the letters, he was full of curiousness and I thought that it was natural thing for boy to read the letters. What had happened was aunt Mary’s fault as she didn’t hide her letters from the boy. If I were aunt Mary I would have hidden the letters from the boy as I could easily imagine the boy would read them all. Aunt Mary knew he was a inquisitive boy, she should have hidden it somewhere where boy would never know, if she hided them, story would never started however.

I thought the relationship of Mary and Jon was absolutely beautiful like old films, they sit on the grass and talking to each other and nothing will separate them, but they were separated!

I didn’t realize what he meant when he said he thinks he should sacrifice something. The thought that he will sacrifice the love for Mary didn’t even occurred to me. Jon said that the war is beginning to have an effect on him. I still remember the French solder in the documentary who could not see the solder cap.(I don’t know if it was called cap.) his hands were shaking, I never saw anybody shaking like that. I think Jon was changed. He was killed in the war. His feeling was killed in the war, and it is strange that human being started the war, nothing else did. This story was not the fiction, (I don’t know if Mary or Jon existed or not.) lots of people were killed in the war, their body or their feeling, and someone would be crying for it. Still these days there are lots of wars are going on, lots of people die every day, may be someone is dying or was just dead now. I think if there wasn’t such thing like the war, they would have been married and lived happily, just because Jon went to the war every things were changed.


By Ayaka

------------------------------------------------------------------------

This story was really strange, i thought. But i can understand his feeling that wanna see thinks which was hidden from me.
At last he saw them and she knows that. She has never forgiven him.
I thought this is really interesting cos if i went to war (i know i can't because I'm a girl)and if i could come back japan and could see my boy friend(for him girlfriend) i will really want to be together. I thought its normal but for him it wasn't. But if he decided like that she had got no choese she just had to give him up.I though she wasn't happy about that.

If i was that boy i will say sorry and try her to forgive me. Even if she didnt forgive me i will not leave it like he did. Than he will think about it forever till he die.

Anyway this story was really difficult to think but it was really interesting

By BKL

------------------------------------------

I thought the boy shouldn't have read Mary's letters from
John because I think that secret was probably the only
thing to keep Mary thinking 'We(John and Mary) have the
special relationship though we are not a couple any
more...' But the boy had spoilt that... I know he was just
a small child(I don't remember his age,,,) and curious so
he really wanted to read them but he really should have
given up when Mary told him not to read!! And I think he
should have apologized to her again before she died. She
might have waited for him to apologize... From this story,
I learned that I mustn't do the things which other people
don't want me to do. If I don't do that,I won't make
people angry!(Not always, though,,,) I wish I'd never make
people angry!!

(QUESTION123)
----------------------------------------

I felt that I couldn't understand this story fully. But I under stood Mary's heart.

During the World War, Mary fell in love with John. They could read the letters from lovers because John might be a commander. And they planed to get married.

But, the war shanged his mind. He decided to become a brother.
I thought Mary have should very sad. His letter was big secret for her.

But her great nepew saw it. Her anger was so great and deep.

The kid saw it because hebwas interested in "John". And he knew that nis great-aunt hasn't get married. He has never heard about a man from Mary, so he wanted to know about "John".At last, he was hit by her...I think it's good for him.

I hoped that John and Mary ware married for themselves.

5.19 Koh

--------------------------------------

I'm going to tell you my opinion of the story "Secrets".

At first I thought this story is just telling about love story of the boy's great aunt.

But it wasn't the happiness love.

I think I can't wait if someone who are close to me went to war and didn't come back for long time.

I could'nt understand why she could wait.

I don't have experience of the war and havn't reality of that. So I could understand why boy want to know about his great aunt and more curious to find her secret. I think I'll do samething that boy read aunt's secret.

But I also could understand aunt's side. If I have some secret, I felt same as the boy's aunt.

I thought secret must be secret. But some times we felt more free after secret come out by someone.

This is my opinion of this story.

(Gonbe)

-----------------------------------------


When we started reading the story "secrets", I thought what is secrets? But it emerged. I could understand why he hadn't been beside his great aunt whenshe died. It's bad thing to read another person's letters,but I think hecouldn't help reading her letters.So, I might understand he read someletters. However, if I were Mary, I can't allow him, because these lettersare most importantly for her.I will hit him like Mary and I will shout him"Go away right now ,You are unreasonable. It's too terrible." These letterswere valuable and her religion, because John was a man she loved the bestwhether they would get married or not. I could satisfied why she weremaiden. I thought she was distinguished women ,because she kept maiden byshe died. She didn't get married other man despite the fact that she foundJohn couldn't get married her.Also John is greaat man. He wrote a letterlike this " I must do something ,must sacrifice something to make up for thehorror of the past year."I was impressed by this phrase. In spite of heloved Mary he became a monk brother. His all letter to Mary movedme.Forexample " The only thing that remains constant is my love for you."I feel greater sympathy with for a boy. He made a mistake, but he wereashamed it. I think he should have apologized to Mary firmly.I think hegrieved about Mary's death terribley. I hope Mary forgive him....
This story was sorrowful for me.

(Paul)

---------------------------------------------


I quite liked this story. Until I read this story, I was thinking thatchildhood is wonderful time. But after I read this story, I understood thatchildhood sometimes annoy somebody or make feel bad. Child entertains lots of query, and keeps on asking, push out boundaries,learns, understands, doesn’t understand. and because of these, child oftenget in troubles. Sometimes, the lessons are painful, and that pain willlinger on into your adulthood. In this story, the pain to this boy was the death of his great-aunt Mary.Once, when he went into her room, he found letters in the pigeon-hole.Luckily, she wasn’t there, so he read those letters. When he was reading,she came back. She referred to him what he was doing. The boy said that hedid nothing, but she found out that he was reading them. She was talkingquietly, but because her eyes were blazing, he could understand she wasangry at him. Then she struck him across the side of the face, and told himto get out of her room. He put the keys on the table on his way out. Whenhe was getting out of the room, she called to him. She said that he isdirt, and that he will be always dirt. Also, that she won’t forget aboutthis till she dies, and won’t forgive him about this ever. I think it was really shocking to the boy that Aunt Mary called him dirt.And to make him more shock, she died. After her death, he asked to hismother if she said something about him before she dies. But his mother saidthat Aunt Mary was saying nothing. Which means she didn’t forgive him anddied? He felt hardness in his throat, and when he felt that, he put his headdown on his books. Tears came into his eyes for the first time since shehad died, and he cried silently into the crook of his arm for the woman whohad been his maiden aunt, his teller of tales. Maybe , she might forgivehim. If I were him, I think I’ll be really shocked if my aunt calls me “dirt” and that she won’t forgive me till she dies.

(doubleY)

--------------------------------------


I like to collect stamps, too.

My father often gives me many stamps.

The boy peeled stamps off envelopes by steam, but I always them soak
in water for a few minutes.

I think this story was really difficult.Both of them are miserable.
Mary have kept her searets for a long time.

She never said anything to anybody about her memories of John.
So, I can understand her feelings.

If I were Mary, I would get angry with him.

I think she never forgive him.

But if I were the boy, I might read Mary's letters, out of curiosity.
He was just a child. I can understand his feelings, too.

This is a very sad and difficult story.
Anyway, I hope war will never happen again.

(yuzu)

-----------------------------------------


This story is about the secret that a boy’s great-aunt, who never married, used to have a fiance but he went to the war and he changed and they finally didn’t get marry although they loved each other. Why they didn’t get marry was that he decided to be a father after the war. I think he felt a lot of things and he experienced things like having people and mates dying around him and surviving in the terrible situation during his duty in the war.

The boy whose great-aunt is Mary was not allowed to read or even open the pigeon hole which had got her secret letters in it. But he opened it and read the letters. I think he couldn’t stop reading them because of his age and his curiosity. He was very little at that time. She came into the room where he was reading them and she got cross with him.
She never forgave him as she didn’t say anything about the accident and she died. He regretted what he’d done but he would never be innocent.
If I were him, I would’ve regretted a lot like him but I might’ve asked her what happened to her and her fiancé at latest before her death because I wouldn’t have been able to get the secret out of my head. However I think he was right. Her past is so mysterious and I don’t think teenagers like him and me understand how she felt and what exactly made her fiancé become a father so I don’t think we should poke our noses into her memory. And I guess he knew that he shouldn’t have done it. That’s why he didn’t talk to Mary about the accident.

It means that he was a quick-witted boy or he felt things deeply or at least more deeply that I would’ve done.

I can imagine if I were the boy but I can not imagine if I were Mary because in this safe and peaceful life, I probably won’t experience such a sad love story. But I am long for the story because it’s like a film although I still don’t want to experience such a story. I really enjoyed this story so I would like to read this kind of stories a lot more in English.

(Flick)

--------------------------------


For me,this story was strange.first, the story is when Mary is dying, then it goes to the past, and then back. Maybe this story moves as the main boy looks back.This story is his side.

Because the boy is very nervous about Mary's death, I thought the boy and Mary were really good each other like friends even though they are bit far as grand-aunt and grand-nephew. I don't understand why Mary doesn't forgive the boy and why she wanted keep the secret. She could(should) tell him the terror of the war or something important. But she didn't want to and the accident happened.

This time, I noted the relationship between Mary and the boy, but some noted about John and Mary I guess.This story was interesting.

d18

--------------------------------------------

i wil tell you about my impression of the story -SECRETS-
first, everybody has some secrets, but this secret is very serious.. i felt pity for great-aunt mary because she loved jahn for a looooong time. she was single in all her life. if i were her, i absolutely could not do that like her. waiting waiting waiting for a boyfriend... because i want to get married!!! im sure that she loved him very very very much!!! but he became a Brother because of the world war 1. i can swear, if a war break out just now, i would hate it very much. it will take my boyfriend out from me.i appreciate this peaceful world, but in the middle east, such as iraq and palestine, there are often break out many wars and civil strifes. oh and also religious wars... im so happy now, but people who are in these countries are not... many women has own boyfriends and husbands in this peaceful world, but they have to separate from their boyfriends and hasbands...like mary.

second, about the boy who is very curious. he saw some privete letters of his great-aunt. these letters are very very precious memories to her, but he saw them, when she went to church... it was really bad act,i think. but he was so young!! if i were her, i might forgive him.
third, as for john. i can not understand definitely why he became a Brother. why did he sacrifice her?? we learned he got very angry against the war. i think he could get married her because he did not break out the war. the government did!!! why didn't he choose a life,kinds of 'happy-ever-after' if he had got married her, mary would not have been a single for all her life. i really want to ask him...

finally, we do not know much about wars which broke out before our birth, and we also not interested in them. but we still have lots lots lots of problems between japan and china, korea and south east asia, such as indonesia and malaysia. through this story, only thing that i want to say is that young people in japan must think over how awful wars are...

by L4DYL

--------------------------------------


i'll talk about "SECRETS".
the woman whose name was mary was dying for some days.she was great-aunt for one of the boy, who was a main character in this story.

he had just left his girlfriend's house after getting to call from his house, because he and his girlfriend had been studying for A-level together.lots of relatives of his great-aunt were standing around her bed, and had been praying for her...she is dying on her death bed, namely, her condition was very bad.it was in the evening as a proof, there was finding all the lights spilling on to the lawn.so, it means she was going to dye SOON-a sense of purpose.

her relatives were catholic which was from had tried to wrap her fingers around a crucifix in the sentence.it was terrible to listen to her noise for him,,,ireses were dying because she was in bed couldn't change water and couldn't look after them.

there was the sound of woman weeping, which meant she was dead.
she had got a cameo ring on the third finger, she didn't married.to keep a little pigen-holes used to be very popular in ireland and u.k..(pigeon always go back their house.its amazing!! because if i were them, i might be able to do it, but, i'm not sure , if, i were a pigeon.)

when they were praying for her, mary was making a strong noise, was shrinking and dignity.(she was srtong woman.)it was painful to see her.he want to sitting room and she was dead..

when he was young, she had read books for him and he knew a cameo ring was from mary's grand

when she left, he had read her letters which were from secret pigeon hole. in other words, he didn't tell her he'd read.and they told him, john couldn't keep his mind usually, when he just can keep it normally, he was thinking of her because he and she had been engaging since he left her to world war 2 as a solder.however, he gave up to marry with her because he was going to be brother-brother john.that's why the name on the envelops were john and there were lots of letters from him.she found out that he'd been reading her letters.i think this story is sad ans also, i don't know and can't decide which person i should sympathy because if i sympathy for mary, she felt what a shame that he'd read them, or if i sympathy for him, he did regret that he'd read.....",

nkj

-------------------------------------------

aunt mary went a bit too far to hit him, but she may well angry in this situation, because the boy read her private letters while she went out.

nobody is wanted to read their letters. not to pry into the affairs of others is a tacit approval for us. if i were the boy, i wouldn't have red her letters, and if i were mary, i wouldn't have hit him and said that his action was wrong.

mary's boyfriend , john was a soldier , so he had to go on battlefield. his colleagues and friends died with weapons. he didn't want to fight against enemy. he always wished the world peace , so when the world war finished, he decided to become a brother. maybe mary intended to marry john because they loved each other, but she accepted his decision. i wonder she was so sad. she loved him, so she treasured lots of letters from him like him.

everybody have some secrets. it is no good to interfere in others. i also learned the cruelty of war. they needn't have fought each other. i think john always was in mary's hearts.

(milaha)