Clipped Wings

"Clipped Wings" by Rupert Hughes is a story set in the early 1900s that begins with a mother, Mrs. Vickery, coming home from a shopping trip. When she gets home, Mrs. Vickery thinks something horrible has happened to her children because there is so much confusing chaos. She hears one of her youngsters scream and so rushes to her living room. She is met with a strange scene as the children are acting out a play where they pretend to be dead; this ‘theatrical arrangement’ is being led by a young girl named Sheila Kemble. Mrs. Vickery is both horrified and confused witnessing the children in their joyful make-believe. The story shows the way kids see the world mixed with how adults react and introduces Sheila as the natural actress. The story explores what it means to be a child, pretend, and all about acting.