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The Door in the Wall greatly supports the theme of childhood pleasure. However, preparation along with the strict nature of Lionel=s father has hindered his pleasure as a child. I agree with Jane Austin=s phrase AWhy not seize the pleasure at once? How often is happiness destroyed by preparation, foolish preparation?@

I interpret that statement as the following. If you encounter an opportunity why not take it immediately. Don=t wait until you can better plan for it, as it may never be the same.

There are several instances in which the story links to Jane Austin=s statement. The first one occurred when Lionel was walking to school. He was playing the North West passage, to find an alternate way to school. He came across the door. He told a friend about it, and the word spread. During recess he was forced to show his peers or face ridicule. He prepared himself to show them, and he did. However because he was prepared, he was unable to find the Door in the Wall.

When he was raised, he was probably taught that preparation is the key. Several times more he saw the door.  One time was when his father was expecting him to pick up his scholarship and nothing else. He saw the door, and stopped the cab, then told the cab driver to continue. That was another way how his father=s strictness while Lionel was growing up affected his life. 

What makes preparation foolish was that when he was an older man, he has prepared a way to look for the wall while leading a job of politics and avoiding embarrassment. So the walked at night so he couldn’t be noticed. It took him a while find his destination, but his destination was not as expected it was . . . Death

Lionel Wallace constantly sought pleasure as a child, but his father=s strict nature restricted it, and it was foiled by preparation. As he got older, he had to prepare in order to let it fit in with his schedule and it changed for the worse. So next time before you prepare for something think again.

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