Past the Shallows Lesson Plan

What does Miles remember about the night his mother got out of the car and ran into the trees? What does this reveal about her character?

Miles recalls a time that Mum was picking him up from Granddad's after dark. On the way home, she suddenly stopped the car on the road an ran out into the trees along the side of the road. When Miles went after her, he found her crying against a tree. All she said was "I left here once. But I came back." This moment suggests that Mum was deeply unhappy and felt trapped in her life. It's unclear when she left—whether it was before or after she had gotten married—but it seems that her family is the only thing still keeping her around....