The Boy Comes Home

                        THE BOY COMES HOME

                                               A. A. Milne

                                     


                                                                     Question# 1
                                                         Discuss the title of the play?

                     A. A. Milne, was a journalist, and became the editor of “Punch” at the age of twenty-four. On the outbreak of war in 1914 he entered the Army. In his leisure time he used to write lighthearted comic one-act plays.
                    The present one-act comedy is named “The Boy Comes Home”. The title refers to a boy who has come back to his home after some years. This boy happens to be a young British soldier called Philip, who has been fighting in France. He is a young promising boy with a strong and pleasant personality. He is twenty-three years old and has learnt a lot from his experience in the war. His personality has become mature and he is unruffled by any sort of situation. His reaction to different situations and characters is quite impressive and self- assured.

                     He comes home to find himself in a conflict with his guardian’s strict personality and his unbending rules at home. The whole action revolves around the way in which he handles the discussion with his uncle. Amusingly this discussion goes on as much in reality as in the dream of uncle James. Uncle James’s insecurity and sense of incapability before a young man compel him enough that he readily accedes to the demands of his nephew.

                                                                      Question# 2
                                                       Discuss the breakfast episode?

                                Philip gets up late in the morning because he has just come home the previous night. He calls the parlour maid Marry and asks her to bring breakfast for him. Marry tells him that the breakfast has been cleared away an hour before. Philip says that he knows it that’s why he has called her. He gives orders for two eggs and ham and coffee not tea… Marry hesitates and says she doesn’t know what Mrs. Higgins will say. Marry tells him that breakfast at sharp eight is still the rule of this home as it had been before he went to war. Philip smilingly says that he has been doing a lot of silly things before going to war. Marry goes and Aunt Emily comes in. She is a subdued lady who never asserts her self. She talks to Philip on general topics. Marry comes in again and says to aunt Emily that Mrs. Higgins wants to see her. Philip at once intervenes and asks Marry to tell Mrs. Higgins to come there. Aunt Emily hesitates and says, “I don’t know what Mrs. Higgins will say”. Philip pleasantly says that he wants to know once and for all, what will she say.
                    An extremely aggressive lady comes in and talks in a domineering style to Philip and tells him that she will not make any breakfast after 8 o’clock. Philip talks to her in an authoritative style and tells her to make breakfast. On that she demands that she should be given a notice for introduction of a new rule in the home.  Philip gives her wages to her instead of a notice and tells her that she may go at once. This proves a successful strategy and she is much intimidated. At last she says,” if it’s only a bit of breakfast, I don’t say but what I mightn’t get it, if asked decent.”
                 This episode sets the tone of the whole play because it indicates the strength of Philip’s personality. And it further shows that nobody will be able to make him agree to his or her wishes.

                                                           Question# 3
                                            Describe the dream of uncle James?

                     Philip comes back to his uncle’s home after a period of four years. There he is received by the strict practices of his uncle’s irrational rules. Philip’s father has died and Uncle James is his guardian. On the very first morning after his arrival uncle James wants to discuss Philip’s future with him.
                    Uncle is an old fashioned man and he holds orthodox views about treating young kids. He thinks that he can dictate Philip to do whatever he wants. He is a short statured man with an unimpressive physical appearance but he has closed himself in the cocoon of severity. His inner weakness collides with his outward severity and this conflict induces him to dream a strange thing. His unconscious fear and insecurity make him view Philip as a rude and bullying boy who tries to get his demands fulfilled on the point of gun. His dream is full of violence and threats. He sees himself completely subjugated before the terrorization and use of weapons by his insolent nephew. He dreams Philip as a headstrong and impertinent guy who can go to any limit.
              The dream is so forceful that uncle James is unable to know that it isn’t reality but only a dream. Uncle is badly influenced by the dream and when Philip talks to him in reality he behaves in very kind and considerate way to avoid the menacing situation of his dream. Uncle James’s conscious and unconscious blend together to constitute his dream and then it directs his consequent real attitude.

                                                                Question# 4
                                      What was the main conflict of the play?

                      The play revolves around the two main characters, uncle James and Philip. They represent different ages and different generations. Their ways of thinking and outlook about life are at cross-purposes. Their assessment and their motives are different.
                      The main conflict in the play is the future profession of the boy, Philip, who has recently left the army and is free now. The boy is energetic and is ready to do anything while uncle is orthodox and wants to lead the boy by nose. The boy and uncle both want to have their own will in this matter.    The boy wants to have a bold decision and wants to become an architect while his uncle likes to follow the same beaten path and offers him to join his business. Here starts a heated and violent dispute... The boy uses the power of weapon while uncle proposes to use the power of purse. The boy threatens and bluffs his uncle. He uses revolver and bombs to assert his point and finally he manages to make his uncle listen to his point of view too. Subsequently uncle assents to boy’s desire and the boy subscribes to his uncle’s wish.
                  The whole dream is infact a psychological study of a middle aged man who goes through a conflict in his own mind. His unconscious makes him have a dream that weakens him and he yields before the boy.


                                                           Question# 5         
                            What where the expectations of the uncle about boy?

                       Uncle James is the guardian of Philip and he tries to dictate him in his decision about his future. Uncle James is an old fashioned man and he does not let others to have their say. His servants and his wife all have completely given in to his commands. That’s why he expects Philip to behave in the same way. The boy is very strong and decisive person and he cannot be led by nose. So his uncle’s expectations about him are baseless.  This is the fact that he knows unconsciously because in his dream he sees Philip as a rude and violent boy but infact the boy is not like this. His uncle dreams him as a stubborn and haughty man but in reality he at once agrees to his uncle’s suggestion. So the expectations of uncle James are flimsy and baseless and they all prove to be wrong. All these expectations basically show his own mental tangles and frailties.  He bullies Philip to enter into his business and thinks that he will refuse. Then he dreams him to be a violent rogue. But infact Philip is not according to any of his anticipations and he proves to be a sensible boy with proper manners.

                                                                   Question# 6
                                                Draw the character sketches of:            
                                                            Uncle James
                                                                   Philip


UNCLE JAMES

                       Uncle James is a very successful businessman who has been making pots of money even in the wartime. He is not physically an impressive man. He has a straggly grey beard that doesn’t hide a chin of any great power; but he has a severity that passes for strength with the weak. He is orthodox and strict in his rules. He has decided times for meals even, and nobody can get anything to eat after the appointed times. Due to this rule Philip has to face a lot of trouble at his very first morning in his home.
                   Uncle James is irrational to some extent as he says that Philip should be punctual even in his home. He doesn’t give much credit to Philip for having fought a war for his country but in the same breath he says that he himself has done a lot for his country by suffering the shortage of potatoes. Moreover he takes the credit of giving his nephew to the nation. He criticizes the legislation that has imposed tax on excess profits in business. He further boasts that his jam business also has served the poor men in trenches though he isn’t ready to give any acknowledgment to the “poor man, Philip who has personally been in trenches”.
                  He very meanly proposes to use the power of purse to subdue his nephew. He doesn’t want to give free hand to his nephew in deciding upon his future career. He speaks to him in a haughty way and tries to assert his authority. In spite of his outward severity he is an insecure man inside. He unconsciously thinks that his time is over and the members of new generation can’t be stopped from having their own way.
            The dreams are a secret opening into the unconscious; they reveal the true worth of a man in terms of his aspirations, his fears and his strong points.  Uncle James dreams about his discussion with Philip and reveals his insecure feelings. He is afraid of being bullied physically and this is what he shows through his dreams. He experiences a strong sense of fear and is completely cowed down by this unconscious fear.
                   His attitude goes through a revolutionary change after the dream. He behaves in a very appropriate and considerate way to Philip. He asks him if wants to be an architect or anything of that sort but Philip isn’t interested. He doesn’t want to wear a uniform again and that’s it.
                So uncle James is a very amusing character that can be seen anywhere in modern society. He is an unforgettable figure who represents different shades of a man’s personality.


PHILIP

                       Philip is the hero of this play.  He has recently come back from the war front. He is a well built young man of twenty-three with a pleasant assertive personality. His parents have died and he lives with his uncle James. His relations with his uncle have always been problematic though.
                    He is a boy of pleasant manners; he treats Marry and his aunt in a polite way. He tells his aunt that she has always been his darling and he talks to her about his experiences in Army.
                      He has strong ability to take a decision in any crisis. When he is denied breakfast he quickly responds and handles the situation in a commanding way. He is not confused or worried. He simply decides to dismiss the cook who is not ready to work. He is not vindictive either because when Mrs. Higgins is ready to make the breakfast, he doesn’t create any problem and repeats his order of breakfast.

                        His personality has two facets; one is his real personality while the other has been concocted by his uncle’s imagination. In his uncle’s dream he appears to be an insolent boy who doesn’t recognize any authority. He breaks the rules and doesn’t care about his elders. He wants to be an architect and can defend his intension with many arguments. He compels his uncle forcefully to agree with his demands. He points a loaded revolver at his defenseless uncle and frightens him to an extent that uncle James goes on his knees, asking for mercy. He even produces a bomb out of his pocket and threatens to throw it on his uncle if he is not reasonable in his attitude. He settles the dispute through power. But this is not his true personality
                   In reality his uncle finds him much sensible. He only wants not to salute someone or wear a uniform otherwise he is ready to do any thing. The haughty and boorish Philip is only a bogey created by his uncle’s imagination. The reality is completely otherwise.
                   Overall Philip’s character is strong and convincing. It wins at the end because he represents the advancing time that always wins.

Something to Talk About

                         Something to Talk About

                                               Eden Phillpotts

                                   



                                                              Question# 1
                                                Discuss the title of the play?
       
                         This play is basically a clever piece of writing that displays modern mentality. It represents the modern attitude towards different events. The pace of modern life has increased tremendously and nothing seems novel today. The blessed faculty to “wonder” has been snatched away from the modern man. He has become reckless and bold.
              A well-bred family has been shown in this one-act play that deals with the unexpected situation in an unexpected manner. They claim to be the dullest family of the county. Nothing ever happens to them, they never have accidents or any other event that can be reported to a newspaper. Their family motto is “nec elata, nec dejecta” which means neither happy nor dejected. In this situation when a famous burglar comes to their home they call it, “manna in the wilderness”.  The head of the family Lord Redchester exclaims that at last it is something that they can talk about. So the title shows the importance of something new in life that one can talk to other people about. It also indicates towards the modern life that lacks adventure and novelty

                                                               Question# 2      
                                         How do they behave with the Wolf?

                           It is three o’ clock at Christmas morning when the most famous burglar of England enters into the Tudor Manor Redchester. He is dressed in black and is fully equipped for his difficult task of burglary. He is fumbling at the safe when Guy Sydney enters…. He has come to have some soda water but is confronted with a crook who asks him to put his hands up. He is not at all ruffled or confused to see the Wolf there. He behaves in a proper manner and asks him to trust him and let him put his hands down. He offers him a drink and shows great surprise and a sense of being honoured by Wolf because of his expedition into their home. He repeatedly assures him of the straightforward and trust-worthy conduct of the Sydney family. When the Wolf starts his work, he asks him to let his sister come who is much interested in the Wolf and his exploits.  Lettice is a nice looking girl and her manners and attitude too set the Wolf on ease. She shows great interest in him and his tools of burglary. Then there comes their butler, Preston who is however not able to act in accordance with the attitude of rest of the Sydney family. Lord Redchester, Lady Redchester and Bishop all come one by one and express their pleasure and surprise at the Wolf’s presence in their home. They cunningly win the trust of the burglar and later they manage to turn the table through the positive impression that they have cast on him.

                     Some critics have considered the attitude of the Sydney family as incredible. But they only represent the working of nice breeding that enables them to behave in an ideal manner. They treat the burglar without tremors and flaws. They do not lose their balance thus controlling not only the situation but also the burglar himself.

                                                                 Question# 3
                                                     How do they turn the table?

                       The Wolf tries hard to enter into the family safe of Redchester family but can’t do so because the safe is made of a new metal and is crook-proof. The Wolf is disappointed but to his surprise, Lord Redchester tells him the password and he gets the safe open in a second. The safe contains Lord Redchester’s Christmas gifts that he has bought for his family. They are very expensive and the Wolf is very happy to see them.
                      The Sydney family has treated Wolf in a decent manner and they have carefully managed to make him believe in any word spoken by any one of them. They have assured him that they are a very simple family whose strongest suit is the rectitude. They successfully manage the propaganda and get their desired results. When the Wolf is ready to depart with their valuable gifts, Bishop indirectly talks to him and says that if he takes their presents, he will regret because in this way he may lose a far superior advantage. This arouses the Wolf’s curiosity and he gets interested. Guy and Bishop cunningly portray Lord Wallaby’s wealth.  They exploit the Wolf’s greedy nature and tell him about the expensive things present in Lord Wallaby’s home. They tell him the way to enter in that home easily. Thus they make him accept all that they say. The Wolf naively believes in them and decides to give their presents back to them. Thus they turn the table by wisely proceeding step by step. Their repeated assurance of their honourable character befools the Wolf and he is dodged successfully.
   
                                                          Question# 4
                      Why does Bishop want him to turn a new leaf from that day?

                     Charles is Lord Redchester’s brother and is the bishop of the Redchester Cathedral. He is a clever man and can handle people easily. At the end of the play when the Wolf relents the Christmas presents of Sydney family and is ready to rob the Wallaby’s. At this point Bishop says that the Wolf should turn a new leaf from that night. This is a very crucial remark because the Sydney family has successfully saved itself from a burglar and the burglar is planning to invade some other home the next night. In this way they have provided him a chance to reconsider his trade of robbing others. They want to give him time. It may be possible that they report about all of this to police and the police may arrest him. When a simple family has befooled the Wolf, he has opened the door of his destruction. The Wolf has been considered as the greatest burglar of England and all the police in England is after him… but he has been dodged by a common family. Thus he has proved himself vulnerable and this may prove to be his last adventure.  So the reader can expect a new leaf to be turned over in his life at that night.

                                                          Question# 5
                        This play shows the mental state of modern people. Illustrate.

                    The Sydneys are a well-bred modern family who behave in an appropriate way when confronted with an unexpected situation. They don’t get confused and hold the situation in their own hands. They try to feel the pleasure in a dramatic situation. They are not worried at the Wolf’s presence in their home rather they are jubilated to have something to talk about. Like anyone else they too don’t want to be dispossessed of their valuable gifts but they act in a sensibly different manner.

                   Thus they represent the mental state and attitude of the modern people who are badly bored because of their monotonous everyday life. They want to have a break from the tedious routine of life and want to revel in any adventure. They want something different and dramatic. This play of course is an exaggeration but it indicates towards a growing trend of modern life. The stale day-to-day routine has made their senses numb and some break from it is always welcome. So the family in the story presents the modern bent of mind as well as the modern rational attitude in any unforeseen situation.

                                                       Question# 6
                                   Draw the character sketches of
                                                 1-Wolf, 2-Guy 

WOLF

                       Wolf is a dangerous burglar who comes to rob the Sydney family. He is the most famous burglar of England and all the police of England are after him. He has been carrying on this trade for a long time that’s why he is quite well known. Often the newspapers report about him and tell some mysterious stories about his conduct and behaviour especially with ladies.

                He behaves in a rude manner with the Sydney family and repeats, “I’ll plug you” again and again. He is violent and often uses bad language to others. He doesn’t believe any one and holds his revolver in his hands all the time. He is very confident about his skills and proudly declares that no safe in the world can beat him. He uses modern technology for his purpose.

          He suspects the Sydneys and is not easily ready to believe in them. He presents himself as a pitiless and cunning fellow but in fact he is a dupe and greedy man. He suspects them in little matters like he asks if Lord Redchester’s tobacco is doped. Then he asks Guy not to make a strong drink for him but when it comes to the serious business, they easily take him in.

                     He seems to be an educated man because he quotes some classical sayings. Lettice calls him, “a lost sheep in wolf’s clothing”; he retorts immediately, “Wolves do change their hair, but not their hearts”. When Lady Redchester mentions about the criminal classes he says, “there ain’t no criminal classes, any more than virtuous classes. The rogues and the rulers may both come from the gutter, or the Palace. A man can be in the House of Commons today and the House of Detention to-morrow, can’t he?”

               He is attracted to beauty like any other man and welcomes Lettice. He praises Lord Redchester’s gifts open heartedly. He claims to make a clean sweep and behaves rudely in order to get the jewels back from ladies. He gives many sarcastic remarks; when Bishop asks who he is…. He says, “I am a piano tuner”. Again when Bishop asks him to join the ranks of the honourable, virtuous and trustworthy…. He retorts, “Do you want me to abandon my craft and start keeping rabbits”?

               He professes to be a cunning man but proves to be a fool. He is greedy and leaves the booty in hand in anticipation of an imagined treasure. He himself said, “ One in hand is better than two in bush” but later forgets it and goes for “two in bush” leaving the “one in hand”. The Sydney family befools him and makes him leave their treasure.
             
               On the whole this is a superb presentation of a modern crook. He is unusual and dramatic and cannot be easily forgotten.

GUY SYDNEY

                       Guy Sydney is a young boy who comes across Wolf in his study room. At the Christmas morning he comes to have a drink, when he sees the Wolf. He controls himself fully and doesn’t show any alarm or confusion. He behaves nicely with Wolf and asks him to be polite. He reiterates his family’s strong points forcefully. He tells him that his family is the most straightforward and trust worthy family of the county. It is he who sets the attitude of the whole family. His friendly manners make Wolf think that he is among friends.
               
                  He calls his family members one by one and perhaps he prepares them for the situation. He is intelligent and self-assured. He is active and controls the situation fully. He again and again gives him drink and takes interest in his tools. He shows himself as caring and asks many questions about Wolf’s life.

           At the end he assists uncle Bishop in turning the table. He eagerly gives him the whole map of Wallaby’s home. He tells him about the riches present in Wallaby’s drawing room and dinning room. He makes a whole list of expensive things present there and even lets him know the location of these things. He paints such a picture before Wolf that he is completely befooled. He leaves their gifts and is ready to intrude into Wallaby’s home.
   
               Thus Guy Sydney can be called the main instrument of Wolf’s destruction. He artfully plans the strategy from very first moment and leads it to his desired objective.

Smoke Screen

                                  Smoke Screen

                                          Harold Brighouse

                                                              Question# 1
                                                 Discuss the title of the play?

          Smoke screen is a strategy generally used by the armies who generate a lot of smoke around their area to hide their movements from the enemy sight. Thus they shift from one place to another without being detected by the enemy forces. Another parallel of this phenomenon is seen in a marine creature, cuttlefish…the one that squirts out a flood of ink to hide itself from attack. Different people often use the smoke screen to present their deceptive image before the world. Simulation and dissimulation are the tools that help a man to envelop himself in a “smoke screen”.  The present play too is about the inter-play of different feelings and attitudes of some characters at a critical point of their lives. In the play everyone is trying to hide his true stance under the cover of an artificial reaction. Nobody is ready to show his true emotions.
The mother in the play behaves as if she has no concern for her daughter and her business of taxicabs holds more importance for her. Her reaction at her daughter’s sudden decision of getting married to an ugly rugby player shocks her but she pretends to have no effect at all. The daughter knows everything about the troubled marriage of her parents but she never shows it. She knows the rotten nature of her otherwise handsome father and opts for a husband who is quite contrary to her father. Aunt Susan hides Primrose’s bag and tries to hold her at home but infact she wants her sister to realize that too much freedom has spoiled her daughter and as a payback she should dispossess her daughter as her heiress, leaving all her money to the International Peace Society. So, we see all the characters are trying to give a false picture of their real personality and hiding the truth behind one or the other smoke screen.

                                                            Question# 2
                                   What type of the girl primrose was?

                       Primrose, the heroine of the play is a free and liberal girl. She is young, pretty and stylish. She likes to hangout with her friends in parks and nightclubs. She is a perfect London-girl…very modern in thoughts and actions. She behaves very rudely to her aunt who contrives a plan to stop her from going out at night. She even remains indifferent to her aunt’s headache.  Her actions show her as an irresponsible and unsympathetic girl but in fact it is not true. Her parent’s broken marriage has a deep impact on her personality and decisions. She has always seen her mother struggling hard in her life and she is fully conscious of her mother’s achievements. She admits that she isn’t a brainy person like her mother, declaring herself “ a marrying women like aunt Susan”. She chooses an ugly man for her husband because she looks at his inner beauty only, thus giving a proof of her mature mind. So Primrose is a nice kid from inside with a hard surface.

                                                             Question# 3
                                               Why does Susan hide her bag?

                 Susan Merridew is Lucy’s sister and Primrose’s aunt. She comes from a village to see her sister in London. She is old fashioned and likes to interfere in other people’s life. She has observed Primrose as an autonomous girl who is not in her mother’s control. Being an orthodox lady she is shocked to see her activities. She remarks adversely on everything that Primrose does; she has objections on her smoking, her lipstick and her routine of life. She tries to stop Primrose from going out at night and hides her bag. Primrose is frantically trying to find it but Susan never gives any inkling to her. After upending the room upside down, Primrose comes to know of her aunt’s brilliant plan. She threatens to spill her down on the floor and takes her bag that contains her only lipstick and her three-pound cash.  So aunt Susan’s plan fails badly because she can’t detain Primrose from “going to the devil”.

                                                          Question# 4
                                    Describe the ways of the Victorian parents? 

                       Victorian parents were very strict with their children because they wanted to train them for the troubles of future. In those times marriages were not so uncertain and the parents stayed with their kids. The economic security was present forever and the kids were going to be rich when they grew up. They treated their young kids harshly so that they should be able to face all the harsh situations later in life. But the modern parents live an uncertain life; there is no surety of marital relationship. The economic conditions are uncertain. That’s why they give every facility and freedom to their kids as long as the going is good. They treat their children lovingly because they don’t know what their kid would come across in their future. So the technique of these two parents is quite different from each other corresponding to their subjective social conditions.

                                                             Question# 5
              What is the difference between a career woman and a marrying woman?

              Primrose gives a very significant statement about career and marrying women. She says that she is not a career woman like her mother but is a marrying woman like her aunt Susan. A career woman is one who likes to lead her life independently. She doesn’t want to become a burden on anyone else like Lucy who is cheated and divorced by her handsome husband. She refused to take alimony from her husband. Instead of marrying another man she came out of her home and struggled hard to achieve a sound economic base and respectable status in the society. A career woman is a living protest against the necessity of marriage. While a marrying woman is one who doesn’t want to work independently. She wants to be protected economically and socially by a man like aunt Susan who has a peaceful family with her caring husband and two obedient sons. Primrose decides to be a marrying woman because she has found the man of her dreams and looks forward to a hassle-free married life.

                                                                  Question# 6
                                                 Why is Lucy so bitter about life?

                 Lucy Aston was a young energetic lady. She worked her way through life with extreme hard work and conviction in her own abilities. She married a handsome man who cheated her. She divorced him and was left alone with her little baby. She worked very hard to earn for herself and her little daughter. She had to perform dual duties; at home as well as in her business. Her experience with the world wasn’t straightforward and pleasant. She went through many crises but managed to sustain herself honourably. Her young daughter was a constant reason of tension for Lucy. She said that she fought life heroically but life fought back through Primrose.  The tough conditions of her life, her unhappy marriage and her apparently spoiled daughter were the cause of her bitter tone.


                                                                Question# 7
                                  What is the conflict between Lucy and Primrose?

Lucy was a successful career woman who had given every type of freedom to her daughter. Lucy had a bitter experience with marriage and she wasn’t in favour of her daughter’s marriage within her heart. She was apprehensive about the future of any marriage. She didn’t say it outright but her attitude showed her displeasure. Her daughter, Primrose decided to marry her friend Clarice’s brother who was an ugly rugby player. He was as different from her father Charles as two men could be. Her father was a lady killer but John wasn’t. She disclosed her intention of marrying him quite unexpectedly. Thus started the conflict between the mother and daughter. Lucy didn’t give vent to her displeasure rather she assumed an indifferent attitude. She tried to conceal her true feelings of concern and exaggerated about the importance of her taxicabs. Her daughter was much disappointed because she had been worrying about her mother’s reaction and asked disgustingly, “ They mean more to you than I do”?
              So the distance and the difference of the basic principles of life brought the two main characters in conflict. Lucy wanted Primrose to remain unmarried while Primrose wanted to marry because she didn’t share her mother’s anti-marriage views.

                                                                Question# 8
                              Draw character sketches of Primrose, Susan, and Lucy.

Primrose

               Primrose is a smart girl of twenty years. She is pretty and takes care of her appearance a lot. She can’t go out without lipstick. She does everything that she wants… she likes to remain out a great deal.  She behaves rudely with her aunt because her aunt is too interfering and she doesn’t want to be the center of attention. Her aunt Susan asks her to give her some time, but she avoids it by saying, “it isn’t easy to be Primrose”. This statement shows her disturbed mental state because at that very day she is on the verge of making the most important decision of her life. Primrose asks her aunt to unleash her views after listening about her decision to marry her friend’s brother.  

                  She has her own specific views about every thing; she dismisses the traditional concept of honour and quotes Shakespeare who calls it  “blowing bubbles”. She talks about her habit of losing things and says that loss of a girl’s honour has nothing serious in it. She represents modern mentality where honour and manners are thought to be useless things. But it doesn’t mean that she is a bad girl rather she proves herself a mature sensible girl by making a prudent choice for her husband.
She has learnt from her mother’s bad experience and has avoided the blunder of falling for a handsome man. She says that if her marriage too is a mistake then it is a different mistake from one made by her mother. Her mother is against men and marriage but she is not influenced by her mother’s biased point of view. She makes her own independent judgment.
              On the whole her character is a perfect delineation of a girl who belongs to a broken family and whose emotional needs are not fully satisfied.

Susan 

                   Susan is a fifty years old lady who comes from a village to visit her sister in London. She is living a peaceful life with her two immaculate sons and a husband with whom she can easily put up. She reads novels and listens to music and likes to remain in the home. She is an orthodox lady and wants her niece Primrose to stay in the limits of her own narrow morality. She maneuvers to keep her indoors because she thinks that Primrose is going to the Devil. She takes her to be a bad girl that in fact she isn’t. She hides her bag, criticizes her use of lipstick and cigarette in the public street. Susan is very intolerant and she doesn’t approve of any of Primrose’s action. She asks Primrose to give her some time because she wants to talk to her but Primrose refuses, as she will soon be disclosing the startling news of her marriage with John.
               She is sarcastic and often gives unpleasant remarks about things. She is artificial and cares a lot about her appearance; she smoothes her hair before Lucy opens the door for Clarice. She is very impolite to Clarice and makes fun of her nervousness. While talking to Lucy she gives contradictory remarks as first she calls her a “heroine” and then tries to make her believe that she has been wrong at many occasions. She blames Lucy that she has made her daughter a mess and that she is unable to control her.  She gives evidence of her hypocrisy when she callously asks Lucy to disinherit Primrose and leave her money to the International Peace Society. She doesn’t care about Primrose but tries to show herself as a philanthropic lady, worried about the future of the world. She is talkative and interfering. She praises Charles repeatedly in spite of the fact that he has proved himself as a perfect scoundrel.
       
 Overall Susan is a narrow-minded homespun lady who doesn’t understand the demands and ways of the modern times.

Lucy

                Lucy was a good looking and capable lady of forty years. She had her business of taxicabs and most of the time remained busy in her work. She had a beautifully furnished home in London.
            She fell in love with a handsome man and married him but unluckily he cheated her. She decided to divorce him and live an independent life with her baby-girl. She had a strong sense of self-respect and refused to take the alimony from her husband. She said she would have scrubbed the floors instead of receiving any assistance from her ex-husband. At that time she only had a car that she hired out. Gradually she established a vast business and owned three garages and too many taxicabs. She had to create a balance between her career and her domestic duties. She brought her daughter up with much trouble; she even took care of sending her to the school where most of the children were without one or the other parent. She had a sense of loss as her daughter grew up but she decided to take everything realistically. Her business activities didn’t leave her with much time to spend with her daughter so they were not close to each other. They didn’t express their true feelings even at the most critical moment of their lives when Primrose decided to marry and leave her mother alone. She couldn’t react properly when Primrose told about her decision to marry John. Though she was much concerned about her future and in her aside she threatened to shoot John if he wasn’t kind to Primrose but in Primrose’s presence she assumed an indifferent attitude. She adopted a smoke screen behind which a loving mother was present to assure her daughter’s well being.
 On the whole Lucy is a nice character that stands for the self assured working lady who decides to struggle in the face of disaster. Her character highlights the problems and tragedies faced by a lonely working-lady.

The Bear

                              ONE-ACT PLAYS

                                   THE BEAR

                                          Anton Chekhov

                                           


                                                                 Question# 1
                                                   Discuss the title of the play?

                  Anton Chekhov is the most eminent Russian playwright who is universally regarded as the greatest Russian storyteller and dramatist of modern times.
              “The Bear” is one of his highly cherished comic works. This one–act play is written with the purpose of exposing the hypocrisy, pretension, falsity and artificiality of the feudal class of his country. It is light heartedly presented to set focus on a deep social trend. The title is ironic. The heroine of the play rebukes the hero and calls him, “a coarse bear, a bourbon! a monster. But at the end she accepts his love and is driven into his arms forgetting all her claims of love for her late husband and her proposed dislike for Smirnov… the bear.  Bear is thought to be a greedy, impertinent and totally uncontrollable animal. So the bear may symbolically point towards the hero of the play. Smirnov is ill mannered and violent but at the same time he is a very passionate man. He is haughty and boorish. His attitude with Popova is very harsh and impolite that reveals his bear like nature. So the title is meant to represent Mr. Smirnov and his true nature.

                                                                  Question# 2
                                                  What is Luka telling Popova?

                     Popova is a young lady whose husband has died seven months ago. She is in mourning and is wearing black dress. She has shunned every relation with the outside world and is confined to the four-walled grave of her room. She has a servant named Luka. Luka is very sincere to his mistress and has deep concern for her welfare.
As the play starts in Popova’s drawing room, Luka is trying to convince his mistress to abandon her prolonged mourning and come out of her cocoon of so-called grief. He tries to make her realize that she is wasting her life in a futile way. He rightly says that one cannot die with the dead. People come and go but life goes on. He tells her that she was still young and beautiful and could easily settle down in her life by marrying a young officer. She should take interest in life and its pleasures. She should go out and see other people. These words of Luka produce a very irritating effect on her and she asks him not to talk to her in that way because she can never think of leaving her husband’s memory and that she would remain true even to his grave. All these claims of Popova prove flimsy and they collapse as soon as the very first man knocks at the door of her heart

                                                              Question# 3
                                      Why did Smirnov come to Popova’s house?

                 Popova was a young lady whose husband had died seven months ago. Her husband had been in the farm business and used to buy oats from a man called Smirnov. There was some of his money still unpaid so he came to get that money back. He was in a desperate need of money because he had to pay the installments on his mortgaged land. He visited all his creditors but could not get anything. Then he travelled seventy miles from his home to Nicolai Mihailovotch’s village. There he was confronted with Nicola’s widow, Popova, who did not want to pay him anything. Thus ensued an exchange of bitter and cynical remarks that concluded at the decision of marrying each other.

                                                      Question# 4
                             What did Popova think of her late husband? 

                 Popova was married to Nicolai Mihailovitch, who died seven months ago. She remained in mourning for a long time and had shut herself in the four walls of her own room. She broke every relation with the outside world. While talking to her servant, Luka, she revealed her views about her late husband. She said that he was a faithless and treacherous husband who had love affairs with many other ladies. After his death she discovered a whole drawer full of love letters. She said that he betrayed her, made fun of her feelings and made love to other woman. He spoiled her money, youth and life. She had very adverse feelings about him. She was in mourning only to show that unlike him, she was a faithful wife who was loyal to her husband even after his death. She wanted to show it to her late husband as well as to the world that she was an emotional and loving wife.
       But the reality contradicted all her claims of loyalty and show that how petty and artificial she was. She had hypocritically simulated an outward show of love and loyalty when at heart she had some other motives. Smirnov rightly mocked at her by saying that her mourning was just a false show and that she wanted to present herself as a mysterious and romantic “Tamara” before the world.

                                                       Question# 5
                             What were Smirnov’s views about ladies?

                 Smirnov is a retired army officer and a respectable landowner of a nearby village. He comes to Popova’s house to get his money back that he has lent to her late husband.
                    In the course of their discussion, they start arguing about the character of ladies and men. Popova holds the view that all the men are scoundrels and they exploit ladies for their own purposes. She cites the instance of her own late husband who has been cruel and disloyal. In response, Smirnov badly ridicules ladies and their ways. He says that ladies are false and artificial… they hook a man by nose to fulfill their vested interests. He tells that he himself has a great experience with ladies and knows their true nature. The ladies only make an outward show of their affection and never love anyone truly. Ladies easily shift their affection from one person to another. He further says that ladies behave like crocodiles and they shed tears to attract and trap a man. They can love a lap dog but not a man. They are soft from outside but from inside they are very cunning, wicked and cruel. He even goes further and criticizes Popova herself and makes fun of her mourning dress and her make up. He also laughs at her for being locked up in her home. All these remarks show that he has very negative views about ladies.

                                                            Question# 6
                                             What is the end of the play?

                      This play presents a blend of contradictory situations.  Although it begins with a sad note but its middle and specially its end is very sudden and surprising. Popova is shown in deep mourning at the start and she recalls her husband with inconsistent emotions. Smirnov comes to her home to get his money back. He needs money to pay the interest on his mortgaged land other wise that may be confiscated but Popova can not do so as her steward isn’t in the town and she herself has no spare cash. Here starts a fierce verbal war…they criticize each other. They both abuse each other in a harsh way. Smirnov makes fun of Popova and the ladies in general while Popova condemns men. He feels like breaking her head and she calls him very offensive names. They decide even to shoot each other. But… without any forewarning, Smirnov falls in love. He expresses his love in his natural insolent style and proposes her. On the other side Popova is in a conflict…she doesn’t want to lose Smirnov but at the same time she doesn’t want to shun her ostentatious image of a faithful widow. She oscillates between “yes” and “no” asking him to go at once and then shouting, “Where are you going”. Finally she turns away from her pretension and is driven into his arms. Quite unexpectedly they accept each other as life partners.

                                                             Question#7
             This play is a criticism on the hypocritical attitude of upper class. Discuss

                     Chekhov often uses the drama to reveal the variety of attitudes in the society, his main concern being the hypocrisy of feudal class and the pragmatism of newly emerging economic sector.
              This play revolves around two characters that accidentally come face to face. Both belong to the landed gentry of Russia…both are single. Smirnov is shown without a wife while Popova’s husband has died seven months back. They go through a disagreement on matter of the payment of some money. During their negotiations, they reveal their true personalities before the reader or audience. The heroine of the play is an affected lady who tries to give an artificial show of modesty and innocence. She vehemently asserts her loyalty with her late husband but in the same breath she unlocks a profound bulk of complaints against him. She cries and faints in an artificial way. She is all in all a hypocrite because she exploits her husband’s death as an occasion to affirm herself as mysterious goddesses of devotion and fidelity.

           She treats her guest very rudely and starts a proper brawl with him…. calls him names and is ready even to shoot him. She pretends to dislike him but at heart she cherishes tender feelings for him. Her attitude is full of contradictions…she says “yes” and “no” at the same moment. She represents the ladies of upper class who have dual personalities and hide their true self in the curtain of false show of humility and devotion. Their true motive is ease and material comfort but apparently they take many sham stances.
               Smirnov is an inconsistent person who too, like Popova, wavers badly in his manners. He is agitated and disappointed. He needs money but he at once forgets all about it and falls in love. A little earlier he has given very adverse remarks about love and behaviour of ladies but he takes no time in practically refuting all that he has said earlier. He is rude in handling a lady…loses temper and childishly challenges her to fight a dual with pistols. Then quite unexpectedly he goes on his knees offering his hand to the lady he was about to shoot moments ago.
 All these factors point towards the superficial life style of upper class where it is very hard to differentiate between real and false. People are heartless and pragmatic; they even capitalize the circumstance caused by some loved-one’s death.

                                                Question# 8
                           Draw the character sketches of:
                               a) Smirnov
                               b) Popova

Smirnov

           Grigory Stepanovitch Smirnov is a vibrant and striking comic figure. His character has been delineated in a realistic but compassionate way.
         He is a Russian landowner who has previously been a lieutenant of artillery. He is not physically described but his actions and manners show him to be an energetic fellow. He is violent and hyperactive… breaks too many of Popova’s chairs. He is rude, ill mannered and can’t control his temper. In spite of his apparent hard surface he proves to be a very passionate man at the end.
He is in dire need of money because he has to pay the interest on his mortgaged land. If he fails to pay the money he may lose his land. He goes to all the people who are in his debt but none of them pays anything to him rather they take him non seriously. So he can’t be called a successful businessman. He rebukes all his debtors in an agitated way. Even he behaves with Popova in a very impolite manner and makes fun of her mourning. He goes too far in his demand of money and uses even abusive words and threatening manners. But at the end forgets all about money and interest.
           He keeps very bad opinion about women and thinks them to be false and trivial. He says that a lady doesn’t know what the love and sufferings are; they only enjoy the impatience of their lovers and try to hook them hard by nose. They only make outward show of love by crying and fainting while men give all the sacrifices in love. He takes his indictment further and says that women can easily shift their affection from one lover to another but they can truly love their lapdogs only. He ridicules them by calling them “softer sex” in a sarcastic way. He even makes Popova a prey of his criticism and exclaims in a stinging way, “you may have buried yourself alive, but you haven’t forgotten to powder your face!” This is a very serious denunciation of women folk.

        He has a vast experience of love; three times he has fought duals on account of ladies. He has refused twelve women, and nine have refused him. He tells Popova that there has been a time when he used to love and suffer like a young boy; he has spent his emotions and money on such things. Now he claims to have left all these things and has taken a vow not to love a lady any more… but he cant stand by his guarantee and falls in love with Popova. He is trapped in the snare of her dazzling looks and her courageous dynamic attitude. He expresses his love in an unusually rude way but is accepted by his counterpart who too possesses an equally pulsating personality.
                     Thus it will not be an exaggeration to say that Smirnov’s character cannot be easily erased from the memory of the reader or audience.

 Popova
     
                  Popova is a pleasantly conceived, multi dimensional character. She is young and very beautiful,  “with roses in her cheeks”. She is very careful about her looks and doesn’t forget to apply cosmetics even in her mourning.
                    Her husband has died seven months ago and she has vowed not to go out and see other people in her extended mourning. She has shut herself in the four walls of her room. She pretends to be much moved at her husband’s death but infact it is not more than eyewash. She is hypocrite in her attitude. She never enjoyed good relations with her husband who used to betray her. He had love-relations with other ladies and made fun of her feelings. He used to leave her alone for weeks and wasted her money on other ladies… but she wants to show his soul that she is not like him. She tries to prove herself as a faithful wife. She unrealistically longs to bury herself alive but the very first person, she meets, shatters her so-called idealism and she readily agrees to marry a well to do land lord.

                 Her servant Luka tries to make her realize the reality that she may lose her chances in life by such an unrealistic attitude of cutting herself off from everyone else. He says that her good looks will be finished in some years and then she will have to live a miserably lonesome life. She reacts strongly and is not ready to listen anything against her mourning but soon she forgets all of this and decides to marry again. She is not a good housekeeper as none of her servants except Luka is available to her. All have gone out without her knowledge.

       She is a very rude and ill-mannered lady. She treats her late husband’s friend very roughly who is under her roof as a guest. She bluntly tells Smirnov that she can’t pay him money unless her steward is back. She doesn’t try to understand his problem and goes on blowing the trumpet of her critical “state of mind” due to mourning. She doesn’t hesitate to start verbal row with a stranger and talks to him in an angry manner. She uses very rough language and calls him, “bear, bear! bear”. She criticizes all men and specially her late husband. She takes Smirnov’s insult of ladies very seriously and retorts with spirit. She is a courageous lady and couldn’t be subdued by Smirnov’s aggressive manners. She is willing to fight with him and brings her husband’s pistols though she has never held a pistol in her hand before.
   She is in conflict when Smirnov proposes her; she doesn’t want to let him go but can’t immediately decide to stop him. She moves back and forth in her desire to be loved and her ambition to be called a faithful widow. At last she discreetly decides in favour of Smirnov and is ready to get married again.
    On the whole she is an enjoyable figure who never fails to amuse the reader though she has some negative aspects too. Her beauty and vigour make her a treat for the reader and audience.

                               The Little willow

                                          Frances Tower

                           


                                                                  Question # 1
                                                     Discuss the title of the story?

                 This is a touching tale of an unexpressed love. The strength of unrequited love gives depth and width to the idea of life and existence. A young quiet girl falls in love with a war-beaten soldier who comes to her home and kindles the deep and compassionate relation of love in Lisby’s naïve heart. Their love is sacred like a candle burning in a hermit’s cave whose flashes never go out but it brightens the whole world with its suppressed light.
                A little willow made of jade and crystal becomes the symbol of their silent love. On Simon’s departure Lisby gives him the most precious thing that she owns…a little willow tree “for luck”. He keeps it as a token of his love with himself even on the war front. This tree becomes the symbol of his beloved Lisby who silently runs like deep waters but never shows any ripples on the surface. She burns with the heat of Simon’s love but never lets any spark out in front of him or anyone else. When the bombshell hits Simon and he gets injured the little willow present in his kit is also smashed. Their love bond is physically broken as Simon is going to die. But the bond of soul is bound to prosper, as his death is to bring the expression of his deep love for Lisby.
So the title of the story is the symbol of the relation of love and its nature. It is the outward emblem of the union of two quiet but extremely beautiful souls.

                                                                Question # 2
                                Portray the setting of their drawing room?      

                   Brenda, charlotte and Lisby lived in the “Courthouse” in the suburb of London. They were very brilliant girls with their exquisite taste and mannerism. They had superb friends like artists, painters, writers and soldiers. Charlotte was a stage decorator. Their drawing room was very graceful and exotic in its appearance. The walls were painted in white bright colour with reflections of colours clearly striking on the walls. There was a thick black hearthrug in the middle with pink roses printed on it. It was a rug woven by some Balkan peasant perhaps. Tables and shelves were stacked with a large number of books on varied subjects. On the grand piano, there were number of photographs arranged in a mysterious fashion. Over the fireplace a dark smoky painting of some old master hung and gave a strangely unusual look to the otherwise bright room. According to Simon a dark picture in a bright room gave it a spiritual worth and quality.
Amid all this dramatic and romantic setting, the three sisters were waiting for their stories to unfold with different tinges of love, death, romance, weddings and tragedy.

                                                            Question # 3
                                   What was the important feature of those girls?

                 The sisters portrayed in “The Little Willow” were exceptionally charming and talented. The two elder sisters were extraordinarily seductive. They always lured the boys and made them captive of their magnetism. They played with the hearts of young men. They were not the modern girls but were the type of girls who had always been… a man’s rose of beauty, his cup of hemlock. They were the phenomenal ladies with all the charms and manners of beauty and love. They had superb friends and were very creative by nature. Charlotte was a stage designer while Brenda was an expert in playing piano. They were a brilliant host that’s why in the wartime their house had become a place of refuge for many young men who came on vacations from the front. The boys coming in to their home fell victim to one or the other elder miss Avery. While the youngest sister Lisby was not that expressive and imposing. She remained silent most of the time. The elder sisters were like powerful electric lamps but Lisby was silent and serene like the soothing moonlight.

                                                                 Question # 4
                                                      How was Lisby different?

                 Lisby was the youngest Avery sister. She was not as dynamic and vivacious as her two elder sisters were. They were all glitz and glamour while she was like a silent mignonette. She did not have a poetic imagination of herself and was very recessive. When people came to their home she did not try to impose herself on them rather she would remain silent and detached. But if her elder sisters were neglecting a guest, she would give company to him. She was an unusual girl in her attitude. She had spent her first term salary, as a teacher, on buying a beautiful willow tree that was made of jade and crystal. She had superb artistic taste as she had insisted forcefully on hanging the smoky old painting of an Angel in their bright room. She liked that picture for its holiness.
                Her sisters were physically valued but she was spiritually deep and exalted. She thought about many famous paintings like “La Belle Ferroniere”,  “Piero Della Francesca” and El Greco’s “Christ in the Temple”. Charlotte her eldest sister complimented Lisby by calling her as serene and deep as the moonlight while she compared herself and Brenda with arc lamps. Lisby liked Simon Byrne for the intricacy and passion of his personality. She did not value his status or any other factor but she liked him spiritually. She never expressed her love for him in words but expressed it through her eyes and her gesture of giving away her most treasured willow tree to him.
Thus Lisby was a different girl a perfect heroine for the tragedy and romance connected to war times.

                                                            Question # 5
                                 Analyze the relation between Simon and Lisby?

                 Charlotte’s friend brought Simon Byrne to their home in his vacations and after that he used to visit that house time and again. He belonged to South Africa and was not acquainted with anyone in London. He was a silent and reserved person. He loved art and music. It was he who at once judged the spiritual worth of a smoky painting in a bright room that had amazed Lisby too. It was only because of her that such a painting was left hanging there. Similarly, he was deeply moved by Brenda’s piano playing. The music was meant to ensnare him in Brenda’s love but he praised the music but remained indifferent to the musician who on her side used to claim that Simon was in love with her though it was not true.

                 The relation of Lisby and Simon was quite unobtrusive as Lisby was never sure of his feelings for her or her own feelings for him. They had the same spiritual frequency level that joined their hearts. The things that made Simon laugh made her laugh too though others did not even notice those things. He used to hum the tunes that had been haunting Lisby’ s mind for several days. He praised her willow tree not for its outward beauty but for the concept behind it. He told her that when he had been lost in the desert he dreamt of willow and water. The coolness and glitter of that willow tree struck his heart as it had stricken Lisby’s heart that fell in love with it in an antique shop. He never said a single word about his love neither did Lisby ever utter anything. They regarded love as something sacred and exalted so they never spoke of it even to each other and he went away without knowing about Lisby’s feelings. But in the depth of his heart he knew that Lisby was his sweetheart. Lisby too always thought about him though ironically, she used to expect a letter from him to Brenda. On the day of his death, the last thing that he had spoken about was the confession his love for Lisby.  Their love relation was intriguing and complex exactly corresponding to their specific personalities.

                                                                 Question # 6
                                                       Who was Captain Oliver?

             After the war Charlotte got married to Richard Harkness and Brenda was engaged to Gerald. A friend of Richard Harkness, Captain Oliver too came on their wedding. He was a doctor and had been in the same camp where Simon was a prisoner. He had something to tell… but to whom …he didn’t know. He had been with Simon at the time of his death and had his confession of love to be delivered to his unidentified beloved. He was not sure about her because Simon had not even named her. Captain was a handsome lad and Brenda was trying desperately to get his attention but he was a different man. After much deliberation, he wisely made a decision. He told Lisby that he wanted to confide something in her because she seemed the most apt person to him. He told her about Simon’s last days when he got injured in an attack and was made a prisoner in Germany. His wound was very grave and it later became the cause of his death. At the night before his death he talked to captain Oliver and dictated a letter to his mother in his usual poetic style. Oliver asked him about anyone else thinking that the memory of his beloved will soothe him a bit. At this Simon said blissfully that there was a girl who never knew… she was his girl. He expressed his deep soft feelings for her. He told Oliver that his beloved had given him a little willow tree that was shattered when the shell got him.
               This was a painful reality for Lisby who came to know about her first love through a third man and that too after the death of her lover. When Simon was about to depart after his vacations and Lisby came out to see him off, he promised that he would try to come in spirit if not in flesh and he had fulfilled his promise. His soul was there with its love and intensity of his passion for the little silent girl of his own sort. The death made his love eternal.
             “The Little Willow” creates an ice-chilled, frosty, cool atmosphere; sometimes of quietude, solemnity, and sometimes of death. Simon keeps the willow as a token of Lisby’s love that gives him solace and strength before and at the time of his death. He dies a whole man, perfect in his faith in love and thus defeats death with the power of his sacred love.

                               A Passion in the Desert 

                                               Honore de Balzac

                               


                                                             Question # 1
                                             Discuss this story as a fantasy?

                          A fantasy means a play of the imagination to present the action, characters and setting that are “impossible under ordinary conditions or in the normal course of human events.” A fantasy is about life, but unlike the realities of life”.  
                          This short story is of course a fantasy in which a young soldier develops feelings of friendship for a female panther that too feels strong attachment with him. The panther lives in the desert and is very happy to see another living creature near itself. The soldier runs away from the custody of Arabs and takes refuge in her cave. In the start he is afraid of her but later they develop a master-pet relationship and his fear is diminished to a great extent.
Their relation itself is incredible but the display of different human emotions by the panther looks even more marvelous. She shows the emotions of love, friendship, and an urge for companionship. At the end she even displays the strong reaction due to the feelings of jealousy. This story looks an exaggerated presentation of the tool of “pathetic fallacy”. The story reminds the reader of William Blake’s poetry where lions and wolves shelter and protect the little children. So the panther and her love transport us to an ideal land where there is no danger of wild animals but the natural feeling of insecurity present in the human heart leads the soldier to kill his companion. Thus it becomes a permanent regret in his heart.

                                                          Question # 2
                                                 Who was the soldier?

                       The hero of the story was a twenty-two years old French soldier who was part of Napoleon Bonaparte’s military excursion in Egypt. The Arabs made him captive and took him to the desert with them. They travelled constantly to escape from the French army and took rest only at nighttime. One night they tied the hands of the soldier and all of them went to sleep. This was a vital chance for the soldier to run away and he instantly availed it. He took a scimitar and a gun and jumped over a horse, galloping at full pace. On the way, his horse died because of fatigue and he was left to himself. He started walking in a very low spirit; the boundless desert was fearsome for him. It spread far and wide like an unending sea with the scorching sun shining overhead. He reached an oasis after the sunset and carelessly slept on a granite rock under a palm tree. He was tired of the terrible conditions in the desert and his fear of death had been decreased a lot. When he got up the next morning, the sun was hot and tremendous heat was being emitted from the granite rock. He got up in a very low morale. He hugged a palm tree and started crying because of his lonely dejected state. The immensity and brutality of the desert was steadily killing him. But then he got up and tried to find some sheltered place. Luckily he was able to spot a cave in the rock nearby and it was good enough to spend a hot day of desert in it. The cave had some signs of having been used by some other person some time before because there was a tattered piece of rug lying there. He tried to cut a palm tree to shelter the facade of the cave but he couldn’t do so. He went inside to sleep, and thus started his incredible tale of adventure and passionate camaraderie.

                                                              Question # 3
                   Describe the initial encounter of the soldier with the female panther?

                         Due to fatigue, the soldier instantly fell asleep in the cave.  It was nearly midnight when his sleep was disturbed by a loud sound of an even but strong breathing nearby. He contracted his eyes and saw two tiny yellow lights blazing in the darkness. He was unable to see clearly in the dark cave so he didn’t know what creature was lying besides him. Was it a lion, a tiger, or a crocodile?
           His fear was tremendous as his ignorance led him to imagine all terrors at once. He endured the cruel torture, noting every variation of the breathing close to him, without daring to make the slightest movement. After some time the moon rose and he was able to see a great panther lying in the den, inches away from him. The spots on its body were clearly visible and it was curled up like a big dog. He could hear his own apprehensive heart that was beating very loudly. He didn’t know what to do against such a gigantic enemy.
                 He thought of shooting it with his gun but the distance between them was so little that the muzzle of gun extended beyond the animal…and… if the animal woke up!..… The thought made his limbs rigid. Twice he placed his hand on dagger so that he could cut her head off but felt that it wasn’t that easy and to miss would be to die for certain. So he thought to give himself a chance and wait till morning. At dawn, he could see the bloodstained muzzle and paws of the panther that meant it wasn’t hungry at least at that time. It was an extremely powerful and beautiful female panther; the soldier’s courage was at its lowest edge. But then he thought that he might have been killed by the Arabs when he tried to escape the day before yesterday, so he took himself as good as dead already and waited bravely for his enemy’s awakening.
               On sunrise the panther suddenly opened her eyes, stretched her body and yawned…. Suddenly her eyes fell on the soldier and she started staring at him steadily without moving. The rigid lustrous eyes made him shudder, especially when the animal walked towards him. But he looked at her caressingly, staring into her eyes in order to magnetize her; then with a movement both affectionate and gentle he passed his hand over her whole body, from head to tail. The animal waved its tail voluptuously, and her eyes grew gentle and she uttered a soft voice showing its pleasure and it started purring like a cat. Thus, she came to like the soldier and had been tamed.

                                                                 Question # 4
                  Describe the relationship and attachment of two diverse creatures of God?

                     The destiny brought two diverse creatures of God in close contact in the wilderness of a desert. In wartime a French soldier fled away from Arabs who had captured him. He happened to reach in a female panther’s den and gradually forged an affectionate association with her.  At first he was afraid of her presence and his previous knowledge about such wild animals wasn’t encouraging either. When she came closer to him he tried to caress and pamper her. This was the language of affection that she understood and lost her ferocity. She looked at him with soft loving eyes and behaved like a little cat that tried to get her master’s attention by all means. She was living alone in that desert and was happy to have a nice loving companion; the soldier too had developed a liking for her. He was greatly enamoured by her beauty and her coquettish manners.  She behaved like a lovely girl that’s why her movements reminded him of his beloved back in France. Her name was Virginie but he used to call her lovingly by the name of “Mignonne”. She was an extremely jealous girl and often threatened to hit him with a knife. He tried to make the panther answer to the name, “Mignonne” and soon she started responding to this name.
               As was already planned, he stealthily came out of the cave one night and tried to escape. But he hadn’t covered much distance when he saw her running after him at full speed. Unluckily, at that very time a quicksand surrounded him and his life was in danger. She quickly came ahead, took hold of his collar and pulled him out of the madly whirling sand. This brought him back to her and he accepted it as his fate. She liked to play with him, and wanted to be gently stroked by his hands. Their relation had become very intimate and deep; he could interpret all the modes of her voice and her moods. The changing expression of her eyes wasn’t a meaningless thing for him anymore.
                One day he saw a big eagle hovering on his head and was fully attentive to him, neglecting his feline beloved for a moment. Surprisingly, she behaved like his girlfriend Virginie and visibly she was jealous of the intruder who had deprived her of her lover’s attention. Her eyes flashed like lightening and she obviously was annoyed. In her annoyance she gently caught hold of his leg, the soldier got frightened and thought that she would devour him. In panic he plunged his dagger into her throat, she rolled over, giving a cry that froze his heart. He saw her dying but still looking at him with gentle loving eyes without any anger. Now the soldier regretted his act heavily and wanted to bring her back to life at any cost.
                    Then after a day, he was rescued by a group of army men who found him crying besides her dead body.   Since then he had been restless and wandering through many countries but he claimed that he had never seen anything like the desert and its sultana. All through his life he regretted his act of killing her who was so majestic and so loving.

                                         The Fly

                                     KATHERINE MANSFIELD 

                           
                             
 
                                                        Question # 1
                  Who was Woodifield? Why did he come to see the boss?

                        Woodifield was an old man who was living a retired life. He used to visit the boss who was his friend. Woodifield suffered from serious sort of diseases that’s why his wife and daughters kept him locked up in the home except at the Tuesdays when he was allowed to go to the city and see his friends. His family didn’t even let him drink lest it should do some irreparable harm to his health. At that day he was sitting in boss’s office and was very impressed of the new setting of his office. He praised the new furniture, carpets and the heating apparatus. He even called the office as a very comfortable place. The attitude of the boss was also very peculiar, as he loved to hear his things praised specially by the old Woodifield. The boss was five years older than Woodifield but he enjoyed a good health while Woodifield’ health was really in a precarious condition. He wanted to tell the boss about something but his old brain was unable to recall it. The boss offered him whiskey that was dangerous for his life. He said ruthlessly that a spot of whiskey would help him recall all that he had forgotten… and indeed the whiskey warmed up his brain enough that he recalled what he was to tell the boss. He told him that his girls had been to Belgium to visit the grave of his son who was killed in the war with the boss’s son. The girls told that the Belgian government kept the graveyard nicely. This made the boss very sad and dejected as it reminded him of the untimely and tragic death of his own son.

                                                                Question # 2
                                          What was the tragedy of boss’s life?

                      The boss was a thriving man who had a very successful business. He worked very hard to establish and flourish his company. He had a son who was a very charming boy and all the efforts and hard work of the boss was for him. He wanted to develop his business for his son’s sake and expected him to step into his shoes soon. He actually brought him to his office and the boy started learning the work. The boy was a brilliant learner and he understood the work very quickly. Moreover his attitude was extremely friendly to all the people. Every one liked him and had high hopes for his future. But then the war started and all the young men had to go there. So the boy of the boss also went to Belgium with British troops and unluckily he could not come back. He was killed in Belgium and was buried there. It was the greatest shock of the boss’s life who could never even think of any such possibility. It was impossible for him to imagine any life without his son. His grief had no bounds and he started crying even by thinking about him. He had claimed that the time could never curtail his grief. That day when Woodifield had talked about his son’s grave visited by Woodifield’s daughters the boss was overwhelmed with grief and he wanted to cry but he was astonished to realize that he could not cry. He looked at the boy’s picture; even then he could not shed a single tear. The time is of course a healer and it unobtrusively tramples over all human woes due to its profound velocity.
          “ Wars are the trade of kings” who solely opt for their own vested interests and regard the common people as merely the fuel for war. The boy was the most treasured entity for his father but in the war he was killed like a fly by the immoderate ambitions of politicians. The aspirations, hope and planning of the boss were erased from the world like a useless word written by a senseless little kid. So death of his dear son was the tragedy of the boss’s life and it corresponds to the title of the story fully.

                                                               Question # 3
                                          What did he do to the fly and why?

                          When Woodifield had gone out, the boss tried to recall his son and cry but he was unable to weep. He was dejectedly thinking about his sad condition when he saw a fly that had been dropped in a broken inkpot and was desperately trying to come out. The inkpot was slippery and the little fly could not climb up. The boss seized a pen, picked the fly out of the ink, and shook it onto a piece of blotting paper. The fly remained still for fraction of a second but soon its legs started to wave slowly. The fly started drying itself, it took hold and waved its wings. It was about to fly when the boss had an idea and dropped a large drop on the newly cleaned minute body of the fly. The fly was absolutely intimidated, stunned and afraid to move because of what would happen next. But then very painfully it dragged itself forward. The process of drying it self started from the beginning though it was slower in pace now. The boss admired the courage of the fly that was not ready to admit the defeat. Finally the little fly was again able to gather itself and the laborious task of drying had been completed. Then what happened?……… Before it could flap its wings, another heavy drop fell on its tiny body. The boss thought that it was all over. But he was amazed to see the front legs waving again. He felt much pity for the tiny creature and he breathed over it to help it dry itself. That time the movements of fly were extremely weary but even then it collected itself and the process of getting out of the catastrophe started again. After a long struggle it had again successfully beaten the crisis but was very timid and weak. The boss decided that it would be the last drop and he again dipped the pen in inkpot. It actually proved to be the last drop as there was no life left in the little fly. The boss threw its corpse into dustbin and soon forgot all that he had done to it.
                   The story has been based on the famous lines of Shakespeare,   “ As flies to the wanton boy are we to the gods; they kill us for their                              sport”. This is the theme of the story and the boss exactly behaves like a wanton boy and heartlessly kills a little fly. But the thesis is not complete unless we go deep into the story. The gods of fate and circumstances had as callously killed the boss’s son as he had killed the fly. So the fly symbolically stands for man and the boss stands for the controlling powers of the universe that don’t respect emotions and planning of a man. The reality is very cruel and it doesn’t show mercy to anyone… all have to face it. The whole universe is under a colossal power, which is very indifferent and uses death as its tool. Death spares none, old or young. The world gives woes and the time applies a soothing balm on these wounds.  Man moves on and forgets everything. The life and time travel so quickly ahead that a man has to leave the previous sorrows to accept the new ones. The fly was vulnerable and insignificant in face of the calamity that befell it but it struggled hard to battle with the chaos though the fate won and the little fly was perished. The boy in the story too was treated in a heartless manner by Providence. The author illustrates a fatalist outlook that proves a man’s helplessness before the uncontrollable authority of destiny. She herself was suffering from tuberculosis and was crushed like a fly by the hulking command of Death and fate. So the story presents a subtle event to demonstrate the theme and the whole plan of human existence on the planet earth.