What Has Happened to Lulu? by Charles Causley

Stanza 1

 

What has happened to Lulu, mother? (line 1)

What has happened to Lu? (line 2)

There's nothing in her bed but an old rag-doll (line 3)

And by its side a shoe. (line 4)

Stanza 2

Why is her window wide, mother, (line 1)

The curtain flapping free, (line 2)

And only a circle on the dusty shelf (line 3)

Where her money-box used to be? (line 4)

Stanza 3

Why do you turn your head, mother, (line 1)

And why do the tear-drops fall? (line 2)

And why do you crumple that note on the fire (line 3)

And say it is nothing at all? (line 4)

Stanza 4

I woke to voices late last night, (line 1)

I heard an engine roar. (line 2)

Why do you tell me the things I heard (line 3)

Were a dream and nothing more? (line 4)

Stanza 5

I heard somebody cry, mother, (line 1)

In anger or in pain, (line 2)

But now I ask you why, mother, (line 3)

You say it was a gust of rain. (line 4)

Stanza 6

Why do you wander about as though (line 1)

You don't know what to do? (line 2)

What has happened to Lulu, mother? (line 3)

What has happened to Lulu? (line 4)

Line by line Meaning

Stanza 1- The persona, a young boy is asking his mother where his sister, Lulu is. He says there is nothing on her bed except an old rag-doll and a shoe by its side.

Stanza 2- The persona is asking his mother why Lulu's window is open and her money-box is missing.

Stanza 3- The persona asks his mother why she is turning her head away and crying. He asks her again why she crumples and throws the note into the fire and tells him that nothing is wrong.

Stanza 4- The persona wants to know why his mother is saying that the voices and the roar of an engine he heard are just a dream. The roar of an engine implies that his sister, Lulu was driven away in a car.

Stanza 5- The persona heard somebody cry in pain or anger but his mother tells him that it must have been the wind.

Stanza 6- The persona wants his mother to explain why she is confused and what has happened to his older sister, Lulu.

Summary of the Poem

In this poem, the persona is the poet himself as a young boy. He tells us that his older sister, Lulu is missing. Actually she has run away, but when he asks his mother, she doesn't tell him what has happened. He sees Lulu's old rag-doll on her bed and a shoe by its side. Her window is open and her money-box is gone. When he asks his mother why she is crying and burning a note, she says that is nothing. He is puzzled and asks her innocently what has happened to  Lulu, but she is silent. Then he tells her that he heard voices and a car late at night, but she says that he must have been dreaming. Next, he says that he heard somebody crying in anger or in pain, but she explains that it must have been the rain. He is confused. He notices that she is confused too and wants to know what has happened to his sister, Lulu.

Setting

• Place- persona's house 
• Time- late at night

Tone

Puzzlement and Confusion : The boy doesn't understand what is going on. He is confused about his mother's reaction towards the loss of her child. The persona explains what he saw in Lulu's room and he sees his mother crying, but she says nothing us wrong

(Stanza 3). He knows something has happened to his sister, so he tells her that he heard voices and a car in the middle of the night. But she dismisses whatever he has heard as merely a dream. In Stanza 4, his mother is crying and grieving. She is confused too and doesn't know what to do now that she has lost her child, Lulu.

Themes and Moral Values

1. Running away from home- Running away from home doesn't solve our problems.
2. Importance of close family ties- We must have a close relationship with our family members to discuss our problems easily.
3. Coping with the loss of family member- The loss of a family member affects everyone in the family.
4. Love for our family members- We must love our family members.

Word vs Meaning

• wide- fully open
• flapping- making something move from side to side or up and down often making a noise
• crumple- crush something into folds 
• note- a short informal letter
• voices- sounds made through the mouth when speaking
• roar- make a very loud, deep sound
• gust- a sudden strong increase in the amount and speed
• wander- walk slowly around without any sense of purpose or direction