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Keys to Unit One
Langston Hughes: Early Autumn
Teaching objectives: 1.To learn the elements of fiction/short story
2. Text for Reading
3. Interpretation and Discussion
Difficulties: 1. To find the meaning under the surface of the words
2. To write a short story after reading
Time: 4 periods
Teaching procedures:
1. the Introduction of the textbook as well as the teaching aims
2. the elements of fiction/short story
Fiction: the word fiction is a rather general term that can be defined as narrative told in prose. Therefore, fiction refers to different types of writing such as folktale, myth, legend, etc., but it is most often associated with the novel and the short story.
Short story: the short story is necessarily limited in length and scope.
Key words of short story: a single incident; a single character or a few characters; compact; creative and imaginative
3. Exercises and analysis:
1) Opinions of Understanding:
(1) What was probably untrue of Mary?
A. She missed the days of the past.
B. She still loved Bill.
C. She worked to keep a family of three children.
D. She was satisfied with her life and job in New York.
(2) Which of the following adjectives can probably best describe Bill’s attitude?
A. Emotional. B. Indifferent.
C. Puzzled. D. Hopeful.
(3) Mary didn’t say anything when she got on the bus. Why?
A. She had nothing more to say.
B. She was disappointed in Bill.
C. She was too emotional.
D. She knew the situation was hopeless.
(4) The last sentence of the story “she had forgotten … to tell him that her youngest boy was named Bill, too” shows that ________.
A. Mary knew she would meet Bill again some day.
B. “Bill” is a very common name.
C. Mary had been thinking about Bill and still loved him.
D. Mary was proud of her youngest son.
(5) The title of the short story “Early Autumn” may suggest to the reader that _______.
A. the bitterness of an emotional long winter was ahead
B. it was still the bright time of one’s life, like early Autumn
C. both Mary and Bill were now middle-aged people
D. the love between them was not as “hot” as summer days
2) Questions for Discussion
(Suggested answers for reference):
(1) Can you pick out words and sentences to show that Mary and Bill were now different in their attitudes toward each other?
1) Mary: …she saw him for the first time in years. (line 5)
Bill: At first he did not recognize her… (line 8)
2) Mary: Unconsciously, she lifted her face as though wanting a kiss… (line 11)
Bill: …but he held out his hand. (line 12)
3) Mary: “I live in New York now,” she said. (eagerly telling him her address) (line 14)
Bill: “Oh” – smiling politely, then a little frown came quickly between his eyes. (having no interested in her living place now.) (lines 15-16)
4) Mary: “Married yet?” (concerning keenly about his marital status) (line 21)
Bill: “Sure. Two kids.” (being satisfied with his present situation and showing pride in mentioning his family.) (line 22)
5) Bill: “And your husband?” he asked her. (not noticing her subtle emotional change.) (line 27)
Mary: “We have three children. I work in the bursar’s office at Columbia” (avoiding mentioning her husband in her reply). (line 28)
6) Bill: “You’re looking very …” (he wanted to say old) “… well,” he said. (not being sensitive to her condition.) (line 29)
Mary: She understood. (being very sensitive to her own condition.) (line 30)
7) Mary: “We live on Central Park West,” she said. “Come and see us sometime.” (offering a direct invitation.) (line 33)
Bill: “Sure,” he replied. “You and your husband must have dinner with my family some night. Any night. Lucille and I’d love to have you.” (giving a polite indirect rejection.) (lines 34-35)
8) Mary: “There’s my bus,” she said. (line 42)
Bill: He held out his hand, “Good-by.” (ready to part with Mary.) (line 43)
Mary: “When …” she wanted to say… (not ready to part with Bill) (line 44)
(2) Several times the author describes the scene on Washington Square: the dusk, the chilly weather, the falling leaves, the passing people. Does he only want to tell us where and when the story takes place? What other effects do such descriptions achieve?
(The description of the setting gives the reader a feeling of sadness and depression. It was getting dark and getting cold with leaves falling. The bright daytime was over and the unpleasant darkness was ahead, and the warm and comfortable summer and early autumn days were being replaced by the cold and long winter. The setting echoes and reinforces Mary’s feelings of regret and yearning and implies the emotional crisis that she might have to face.)
3) Explanation and Interpretation:
(Explain the implied meaning of the following sentences, and point out their significance in the context of the story.)
1) Impulsively, she had married a man she thought she loved.
(Notice the two key words: “impulsively” and “thought.” This has direct relation to her reactions at Washington Square, New York, years later. She made an impulsive decision and the man she “thought” she loved was not the man she wanted to be a life partner with.)
2) Unconsciously, she lifted her face as though wanting a kiss, but he held out his hand.
(Her unconscious reaction reveals that their sweet love in the past had been kept alive in Mary’s memory for all these years, but Bill had undergone a total change, treating her as an ordinary acquaintance of the past.)
3) “And your husband?” he asked her.
“We have three children. I work in the bursar’s office at Columbia.”
(This is the first time Bill initiated the conversation, but he had failed to notice the signs in Mary’s emotional reaction and asked a question he should have not asked. Mary avoided the question by talking about something else. Why did she avoid mentioning her husband? There is message in the avoidance.)
4) The lights on the avenue blurred, twinkled, blurred.
(The vision came from Mary’s eyes. Obviously, her eyes were now filled with tears.)
5) The bus started. People came between them outside, people crossing the street, people they didn’t know. Space and people.
(A lot of people had walked into their lives, Mary and Bill’s family members and their respective circle of friends and colleagues. It was no longer their world of two young lovers when they were in Ohio.)
4) Suggested Homework:
Suppose you were Bill Walker and you had a habit of writing down what happened to you in your diary. After the chance meeting with Mary at Washington Square, you went home and wrote a brief paragraph about the meeting. The paragraph may begin like this:
Oct. 11, 2009
I had never expected to see Mary, but I met her at Washington Square. She looked rather old to me – I didn’t even recognize her immediately…
For reference only:
Oct. 11, 2009
(I had never expected to see Mary, but I met her at Washington Square. She looked rather old to me – I didn’t even recognize her immediately. It was quite a surprise that she could pick me out among the hustling and bustling crowd in the street. After all, it has been quite a few years since we parted -- Eight, nine, or ten years? Time flies and we both changed a lot, no longer the heady, impulsive kind of youngsters that we once were. For some reason, she seemed rather emotional about this chance meeting, and was keen in knowing about what had happened to me in these years and in telling and inviting me to her place. Somehow, she avoided mentioning her husband, the man she quickly married after we ran into a little problem in our relationship. Ten years is a long time, enough to reshape a person’s life. I wish her and her family all the happiness, sincerely.)
Keys to Unit Two
(1) I. B. Singer: The Washwoman
(2) Frank Sargeson: A Piece of Yellow Soap
1) Questions for Discussion:
(Suggested answers for reference)
(1) Does the piece of washing soap have the “power” as the narrator tells us? What is the “power” that forces him to take off?
(The piece of yellow washing soap is, of course, an ordinary one. The narrator is a “naïve narrator” who believed that it had some sort of mysterious “power,” while the readers are expected to know better. This power comes from the narrator’s deep sympathy for the tragic fate of the washing woman. Seeing the situation, he simply could not continue to demand the payment which he knew the woman was unable to produce.)
(2) In this Unit, we have two stories about two washwomen. There are a lot of similar descriptions and common characteristics in the two stories. Find and list them.
(They were both reduce to desperation, depending solely on washing for living. Both were hard-working and uncomplaining, quietly but almost heroically bore their burden and struggled for a hard existence. The author describes their common feature – the white and shrunken fingers – as symbol of suffering in the lives of the working people. They both were both dead by the end of the stories.)
(3) The two first-person narrators tell two stories of two washwomen who shared similar tragic fate. Discuss the differences in the narrators that result in the differences in the way the two short stories are told.
(Singer’s narrator knows more and tells more about the washing woman, often making direct comments and revealing his own feelings about the life of the woman whose story he is telling. He frequently emphasizes that what he is telling is real, and hints that the story has significance. The narrator’s voice is very close to the author’s. Please see more in “Reading Tips” on page 11. On the other hand, Sargeson’s narrator is a naïve one, that is, the narrator’s understanding is purposely made shallow, and the reader need find by himself the real meaning in the situation. So the narrator stands at some distance from the author. Please see more in “Reading Tips” on page 15. Therefore, in Text I, we, as readers, are basically “given” or “received” the story, while in Text II, we need to participate imaginatively in the story to “dig out” the true meaning the naïve narrator has left unexplained.)
2) Explanation and Interpretation:
(Explain the implied meaning of the following sentences, and point out their significance in the context of the story.)
From “The Washwoman”:
(1) She had been so sick that someone called a doctor, and the doctor had sent for a priest.
(According to the custom, a priest should be present while one is dying. The implied message is the doctor thought that he could do nothing to save her, and the best thing to do was to prepare for her death.)
(2) “With the help of God you will live to be a hundred and twenty,” said my mother, as a blessing.
“God forbid!...”
(“My Mother” extended a good wish for long life to her, but the washing woman thought that a long life was a terrible thing, because it only meant suffering longer.)
(3) Her soul passed into those spheres where all holy souls meet, regardless of the roles they played on this earth, in whatever tongue, of whatever religion.
(A good person, like the old washwoman, would go to heaven because she had a noble soul. She would rise above all the earthly considerations of class, race, nation and religion. )
From “A Piece of Yellow Soap”:
(4) My eyes would get fixed on her fingers and the soap, and after a few minutes I would lose all power to look the woman in the face. I would mumble something to myself and take myself off .
(The narrator could not bear to look at this washing-tub slave for too long. He would have to find some excuse and leave. He could not push her over the cliff while she was standing on the verge of total desperation.)
(5) She had a way too of feeling inside her handbag as she passed me, and I always had the queer feeling that she carried there a piece of soap. It was her talisman powerful to work wonders…
(Possibly in the bag there were a few pennies that the woman had earned from her washing, and she was going to buy food or some necessities. Seeing the narrator, to whom she knew she owed money, she unconsciously or protectively put her hand in the bag. The narrator, being “naïve,” misunderstood her reaction while they met in the street.)
Suggested Homework:
Translate the following paragraphs from “The Washwoman” into Chinese:
The bag was big, bigger than usual. When the woman placed it on her shoulders, it covered her completely. At first she stayed, as though she were about to fall under the load. But an inner stubbornness seemed to call out; no, you may not fall. A donkey may permit himself to fall under his burden, but not a human being, the best of creation.
She disappeared, and mother sighed and prayed for her.
More than two months passed. The frost had gone, and then a new frost had come, a new wave of cold. One evening, while mother was sitting near the oil lamp mending a shirt, the door opened and a small puff of steam, followed by a gigantic bag, entered the room. I ran toward the old woman and helped her unload her bag. She was even thinner now, more bent. Her head shook from side to side as though she were saying no. She could not utter a clear word, but mumbled something with her sunken mouth and pale lips.
For reference only:
衣服包很大，比平时更大。妇人将那一大包衣服驼在肩上，包袱把她的身子完全盖住了。一开始，她稳住脚，好像随时都会在大包袱的重压下倒下。但似乎有一种内在的毅力在呼唤，让她挺住，不能倒下。一头驴可以允许自己被重压压垮，但人为万物之灵，则不可趴下。
她渐渐走远，母亲叹了口气，默默为她祈祷。
两个多月过去了。冰雪消融后，冰雪又至，新一阵寒潮袭来。一天晚上，母亲正坐在油灯旁补衣衫，门突然被推开，一团小小的雾气引领着一个巨大的包袱进了屋子。我跑上前去帮老太太卸下包袱。她愈加消瘦，背更驼了。她不停地晃着脑袋，像在说太过分了。她连话都说不清楚，从瘪陷的嘴中透过苍白的嘴唇嘟哝了几声。
Keys to Unit Three
Richard Selzer: The Discus Thrower
1) Questions for discussion
(Suggested answers for reference)
(1) What impression do you get of the patient from the description given in the story?
(In spite of his serious illness, the man never moans or complains. He talks little and generally keeps the physical suffering to himself. He tries to maintain an image of a real man although he is in the grip of Death. He behaves in the manner of Hemingway’s “tough guy” – acting by the principal that “A man can be destroyed but can not be defeated.”)
(2) In the short conversations, we hear the patient’s demand to know about exact time and his demand for shoes. Why is he still interested in time and what does he want shoes for since he can’t walk anymore?
(His interest in exact time and his demand for shoes seem to suggest that, deep in his heart, the man refuses to accept the fate. It might be the result of fierce psychological conflict within the patient, with reality and rationality on one side, and wish and will on the other side. Some abnormal behaviors indicate the man’s unwillingness to reconcile with the fate in spite of his self-restrain.)
(3) Read carefully the paragraph about plate-throwing. Why does the writer give such detailed description of it? What is your interpretation of this rather abnormal behavior?
(From the detailed descriptions of his “discus” throwing, we seem to learn that the man is rather skillful at that, and that he might have had some training in the sport of throwing discus. Then why dose he throw plates? Is it because it brings back the memory of the best moment in his life when his physical power wins the glory and cheers? By this impulsive “reliving” or “restaging” of the explosive energy he once had, the man gains some satisfaction – he laughs after it – and proves that he is still alive. This action reveals the complicated inner world of a man who is forced to face death.)
(4) Why does the writer choose “The Discus Thrower” as the title? Is it coincidence that the short story has the same title as the famous Greek sculpture Discobolus (Discus Thrower)?
(In the Greek sculpture, we see the frozen moment of beauty: male vitality, energy and muscle power. It is a celebration of life and physical capability. This patient might once be a discus thrower, professional athlete or amateur, and now forms such a contrast to the sculptured image. This leaves a lot of room for reader’s own reflection on life and death.)
2) Explanation and interpretation
(Explain the implied meaning of the following sentences, and point out their significance in the context of the story.)
(1) a. From the doorway of Room 542 the man in the bed seems deeply tanned. Blue eyes and close-cropped white hair give him the appearance of vigor and good health.
b. He lies solid and inert. In spite of everything, he remains impressive, as though he were a sailor standing athwart a slanting deck.
(The patient is fatally ill, but he looks, or keeps an image of a strong man. His life is threatened by disease, but the spirit of a strong man is still there. He does not collapse, but does what he can, though rather vainly, to struggle to maintain the dignity of a man.)
(2) “Yes,” he says at last and without the least irony. “You can bring me a pair of shoes.”
(see suggested answer to Question 2.)
(3) It’s a blessing, she (the head nurse) says.
(Though the head nurse is the one who has complained a lot about the patient’s unreasonable behaviors and upon his death she says “It’s a blessing,” it does not mean that she is cold blooded, and thus feels relieved of her troubles. She means that God has allowed him to go, so he no longer needs to suffer and to struggle in this world. It is thus a blessing from God.)
(4) He is still there in his bed. His face is relaxed, grave, dignified.
(He is dead, possibly dying with relaxed feeling as he has kept his final image of being a true man with dignity and can now sleep in peace.)
Keys to Unit Four
Somerset Maugham: Mr. Know-All
1) Opinions of Understanding:
(1) Which of the following is a round character?
A. The narrator “I”. B. Mr. Kelada. C. Mr. Ramsay. D. Mrs. Ramsay.
(2) Which of the following is a most typical flat character?
A. The narrator “I”. B. Mr. Kelada. C. Mr. Ramsay. D. Mrs. Ramsay.
(3) The narrator decided that he might have an unpleasant company even before seeing Mr. Kelada because _______.
A. he had to share a cabin with the latter
B. he had known the latter to be a loud and noisy person
C. the latter had a foreign name
D. the latter had a bad reputation
(4) From the story we can deduce that Mrs. Ramsay’s pearl necklace was probably ________.
A. a worthless imitation
B. an expensive purchase that she borrowed money to pay for
C. a gift from her husband
D. a gift from a lover of hers that her husband knew nothing about
(5) By the end of the short story, the narrator said, “At that moment I did not entirely dislike Mr. Kelada.” The words may suggest that _______.
A. he actually enjoyed the company of Mr. Kelada
B. he found that Mr. Kelada was entirely different from what he had expected him to be
C. he liked Mr. Kelada just for a moment
D. he had changed his earlier attitude towards Mr. Kelada
2) Questions for Discussion:
(Suggested answers for reference)
(1) What are the undesirable qualities of Mr. Kelada according to the narrator? Find them out in the text and list them. Are they good proof that Mr. Kelada is an unpleasant person?
1）…my fellow passenger’s name was (not) Smith or Brown. (not Anglo-Saxon sounding) (line 9).
2) When I went on board I found Mr. Kelada’s luggage ..and toilet things (showing bad taste) (lines 11-16)
3) Mr. Kelada was short and of a sturdy build, cleanshaven and dark skinned, with a fleshy, hooked nose and very large lustrous and liquid eyes. His long black hair was sleek and curly. (His physical features indicate that he is not a white European.) (lines 32-34)
4) He spoke with a fluency in which there was nothing English and his gestures were exuberant. (lines 34-35)
5) Mr. Kelada was chatty. (line 57)
6) Mr. Kelada was familiar. …(observing) no such formality. (lines 64-68)
7) “The three on the four,” said Mr. Kelada (participating in other person’s card game, being rather nosy) (lines 71-81)
8) I not only shared a cabin with him and ate three meals a day at the same table, but I could not walk round the deck without his joining me. (caring little about other people’s privacy) (lines 85-86)
9) He was a good mixer, and in three days knew everyone on board. He ran everything. (line 90-91)
10) He was certainly the best hated man in the ship. We called him Mr. Know-All. (line 94)
11) He was … argumentative. He knew everything better than anybody else. (lines 96-97)
But the above list only proves that Mr. Kelada was a person of different culture and behaved differently. Nurtured by his more Oriental culture, he behaved in a way that was nothing wrong in itself, but was disliked by the narrator of the story, who held a prejudice against non-Western culture.
(2) Underline the descriptions of Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay, and discuss the contrast between the couple.
Mr. Ramsay:
1) He was as dogmatic as Mr. Kelada and resented bitterly the Levantine’s cocksureness. (lines 103-104)
2) He was a great heavy fellow from the Middle West, with loose fat under a tight skin, and he bulged out of his ready-made clothes. (lines 106-108)
3) He was argumentative (lines 122-124) and insensitive (lines 155-170)
Mrs. Ramsay:
1) Mrs. Ramsay was a very pretty little thing, with pleasant manners and a sense of humor. (lines 110-111)
2) She was dressed always very simply; but she knew how to wear her clothes. She achieved an effect of quiet distinction. (lines 111-113)
3) You could not look at her without being struck by her modesty. It shone in her like a flower on a coat. (lines 115-116)
(The husband and the wife are very different almost in every way. One is loud, fatty, aggressive and the other is quite, pretty and modest. The contrast gives the reader an impression that the man is unworthy of the lady and may indicate at possible lack of harmony in the marriage.)
(3) We have been given enough hints about the true value of the necklace and the possible story behind it. Can you find them?
1) “They’ll never be able to get a cultured pearl that an expert like me can’t tell with half an eye.” He pointed to a chain that Mrs. Ramsay wore. “You take my word for it, Mrs. Ramsay, that chain you’re wearing will never be worth a cent less than it is now.” (lines 134-137)
2) Mrs. Ramsay in her modest way flushed a little and slipped the chain inside her dress. (line 136)
3) “Oh, in the trade somewhere round fifteen thousand dollars. But if it was bought on Fifth Avenue, I shouldn’t be surprised to hear that anything up to thirty thousand was paid for it.” (lines 145-147)
4) “Oh, Elmer, you can’t bet on a certainty,” said Mrs. Ramsay. (line 155)
5) “But how can it be proved?” she continued. “It’s only my word against Mr. Kelada’s.” (line 159-160)
6) Mrs. Ramsay hesitated a moment. She put her hands to the clasp. (line 164)
7) “I can’t undo it,” she said. “Mr. Kelada will just have to take my word for it.” (line 165)
8) The Levantine took a magnifying glass from his pocket and closely examined it. A smile of triumph spread over his smooth and swarthy face. (lines 170-172)
9) … Mrs. Ramsay’s face. It was so white that she looked as though she were about to faint. She was staring at him with wide and terrified eyes. They held a desperate appeal. (lines 173-175)
(4) Why did Mr. Kelada choose not to tell the truth of the value of the pearl necklace?
(Obviously he wanted to help the helpless lady by not revealing the true value of the necklace. Otherwise she would have to face an awful and embarrassing explanation. He might have regarded Mr. Ramsay as being unworthy for the lady and acted out of disdain.)
(5) Why did the narrator say by the end of the story “I did not entirely dislike Mr. Kelada”?
(He seemed to be aware of his own prejudice after he had seen the positive quality of the Levantine: wisdom, self-sacrifice, and sensitiveness to other’s misfortunes.)
3) Explanation and Interpretation:
(Explain the implied meaning of the following sentences, and point out their significance in the context of the story.)
(1) I was prepared to dislike Max Kelada even before I knew him.
(This indicates that the narrator, the English gentleman, had a deep-rooted racial and cultural bias against non-English. It is not the person, but what his name represents that he disliked.)
(2) But when I was told the name of my companion my heart sank…. I should have looked upon it with less dismay if my fellow passenger’s name had been Smith or Brown.
(“Smith” and “Brown” are typical English surnames. The name “Max Kelada” indicates a man from a different, most likely “inferior” culture in the opinion of the narrator.)
(3) The Consular Service is ill paid, and she was dressed always very simply.
(This foreshadows the fact that the pearl necklace was far too expensive for her purse.)
(4) Mrs. Ramsay in her modest way flushed a little and slipped the chain inside her dress.
(She quickly hid the chain inside, an act that reveals her fear of its true value being noticed by somebody.)
(5) “If I had a pretty little wife I shouldn’t let her spend a year in New York while I stayed at Kobe,” said he.
(Mr. Kelada hinted that the husband’s leaving her alone in New York was unwise and had led to some consequences. She had now a wealthy suitor. )
4) Suggested Homework:
Let us suppose that in the afternoon on the same day when Mr. Kelada got back the 100 dollars, he met Mrs. Ramsay somewhere on the deck, and there were no other people around. They had a short conversation about what had happened previously. Using your imagination, write out the short dialogue between the two. The conversation may begin like this:
(-- Good morning, Mrs. Ramsay. It’s a surprise to see you alone here.
-- Good morning, Mr. Kelada. I don’t feel well, so I come out for a bit of fresh air.
-- It’s always a pleasure to see a charming lady like you.
-- Thank you for saying so. I’m extremely sorry for what happened yesterday, and I’m grateful for what you did, for me.)
-- Lying about the necklace?
-- Lying for my sake. You are generous and have a good heart.
-- Anyway, I got the 100 dollars back. You delivered it yourself?
-- Yes, I did. You did me a great service, and there is no way that you should be paying that money.
-- I have been the laughingstock of everybody on board.
-- You have my respect. I was real terrified yesterday, and fortunately you came to the rescue.
-- It is a wonderful gift, that necklace, from a true admirer, I guess?
-- You embarrass me, Mr. Kelada, but you seem to notice everything.
-- It’s a good match to a pretty lady like you.
-- Don’t laugh at me, I beg. I don’t think I’ll be wearing it anymore. Thank you again, and I think I’ll be going back to the cabin.
Keys to Unit Five
Roald Dahl: The Taste
1) Questions for Discussion:
(Suggested answers for reference)
(1) Can you explain the writer’s plotting -- which part is the exposition, or complication, or climax, or resolution of this short story?
(exposition: lines 1-17); complication: lines 18-404; climax: lines 405-425; resolution: lines 426-431)
(2) The narrator seems to be rather suspicious of Pratt’s motive. Can you find the places in the story where he shows his suspicion and underline them?
1) He was completely engrossed in conversation with Mike’s eighteen-year-old daughter, Louise. … As he spoke, he leaned closer and closer to her, and the poor girl leaned as far as she could away from him, nodding politely, rather desperately…(lines 67-72)
2) … in two short swallows he tipped the wine down his throat and turned immediately to resume his conversation with Louise Schofield. (lines 78-80)
3) Except that, to me, there was something strange about his drawling voice and his boredom: between the eyes a shadow of something evil, and in his bearing an intentness that gave me a faint sense of uneasiness as I watched him. (lines 121-124)
4) And yet, curiously, his next questions seemed to betray a certain interest. “You like to increase the bet?” (lines 138-139)
5) It was a solemn, impassive performance, and I must say he (Pratt) did it well. (line 289)
6) … he was becoming ridiculously pompous, but I thought that some of it was deliberate… (lines 316-317)
(3) Can you say a few words about each of the three members of the Schofield family? Write down your impression on a piece of paper and read out what you have written to the class.
(Michael Schofield is stockbroker, getting rich almost too effortlessly. Conscious of being less “cultured,” he imitates the way of life of high class, attempting to copy the manners of the “polite society,” to suppress his emotion, to be courteous whenever possible. He loves his daughter, but pays little attention to his wife’s opinion.
Mrs. Schofield is similarly conscious of “cultured behavior,” always fearing that her husband may fail to keep to the polite manners. She is almost completely disregarded by her husband, and she knows it, but behaves as if her words had weight on him.
Louise is a lovely young lady, generally behaving in the way that her parents would wish her to behave. She does not show her anger though obviously she is displeased by Mr. Pratt. She also accepts the ridiculous betting upon her father’s repeated pleading.)
(4) The ending of the story is unexpected but significant. What does it reveal to you about the two characters, the humble maid and the wealthy and “highly cultured” Richard Pratt?
(Though low in social status and in economic position, the humble maid demonstrates her wisdom, cool-mindedness, loyalty and nobility. On the contrary, the member of so-called “cultured class” such as Mr. Pratt, reveals fully his dishonesty, meanness and evil intention.)
3) Explanation and interpretation:
(Explain the implied meaning of the following sentences, and point out their significance in the context of the story.)
(1) He (Pratt) was completely engrossed in conversation with Mike’s eighteen-year-old daughter, Louise. He was half turned towards her, smiling at her…
(Pratt had an interest in his friend’s daughter and showed that almost openly. This shows that he is not a gentleman, but a mean-minded person.)
(2) (The narrator): “But why the study?”
Mike: “It’s the best place in the house. Richard helped me choose it last time he was here.”
(This is a foreshadowing. Richard Pratt had set the trap. From the very beginning of the betting, Pratt had already had the plan, and step by step he led Mike into the trap.)
(3) …and then he (Mike) picked up his knife, studied the blade thoughtfully for a moment, and put it down again.
(He was making an effort to restrain himself and suppress his anger, but he might do anything if he can not control himself in an explosive moment. Pratt’s desire for his daughter was outrageous and he had been challenging his patience for almost too long.)
(4) It was a solemn, impassive performance, and I must say he (Pratt) did it well.
(The narrator seemed to have noticed that what Pratt had staged was a well-prepared “performance.”)
(5) Pratt glanced around, saw the pair of thin horn-rimmed spectacles that she held out to him, and for a moment he hesitated. “Are they? Perhaps they are, I don’t know.”
(Pratt now saw the big hole in his plan, but after a moment of indecision, he calmly attempted to cover it up by saying something in a careless manner.)
4) Suggested Homework:
(Turn the short story into a performable short play.)
Task One: Divide the class into groups of six.
Task Two: Rewrite the story in the form of a play. Shorten it by keeping only the necessary conversation and cutting away the rest. Add a brief introduction and some conclusive comments.
Task Three: Prepare to act out the story with 6 characters in the play – the narrator who introduces the story at the beginning and makes a brief comment at the end, Mike Schofield, his wife, his daughter Louis, Richard Pratt and the maid.
The play may begin like this:
Narrator: Mike Schofield, a wealthy stock broker, is holding a dinner party in his house in London. Among those sitting at table is a gentleman named Richard Pratt, a famous gourmet. Pratt has unusual knowledge of wine and by simply tasting it, he can tell the year and the place of its production. As usual, tonight, the host expects a little bet with him on his ability to name the vintage of a particular wine.
Mike: I’ve got some special wine tonight. You’ll never name this one, Richard. Not in a hundred years!
Pratt: A claret?
… …
(The students can cut and paste and reorganize from the original text, starting from line 115. )
Keys to Unit Six
Mary Gavell: The Swing
1) Questions for Discussion:
(Suggested answers for reference)
(1) What is the significance of the opening sentence “As she grew old, she began to dream again”? Is it only the old age that causes the mother to dream and daydream more often now?
(Dream is a replacement of what she cannot have in real life. As she grew old, she became less active physically and felt more lonely in her emotional life. That is why, most of her dreams are about the remembered past, the life with her son.)
(2) What is it about Julius, the husband, that annoys the wife? Is he an annoying person? Why do you think he behaves the way he does? Does he understand her emotional situation?
(The husband, Julius, suffers from the same problem. Old age made him physically weak so he moved about less and talked less. He shares the feeling of loneliness, but the man’s reaction is different from his wife. The ending part of the short story proves that. He keeps the emotion to himself, becoming more withdrawn and behaving, in his wife’s eyes, rather strangely.)
(3) In one of the flashbacks, there is description of one of the Sunday dinners at the adult son’s home. How is the mother-son conversation different from her talks with her boy on the swing?
(The conversation between the mother and her adult son does not have the intimacy and attachment it once had when the son was a boy. Behind the mature politeness, there is some distance between generations. While in the past, they could talk about anything and everything and could share true sentiments.)
(4) How do you explain the jacket hanging on the nail?
(We cannot explain it realistically or rationally, unless we regard is also as part of the dream. There is a literary school of writing called “magic realism,” in which the real and the fantastic are merged for a special effect. So, this can best be understood as a touch of “magic realism.”)
3) Explanation and Interpretation:
(Explain the implied meaning of the following sentences, and point out their significance in the context of the story.)
(1) (The mother thought:) “I wish that when I ask him how he is he wouldn’t tell me that there is every likelihood that the Basic Research Division will be merged with the Statistics Division.”
(The grown-up son’s interest is in his work, while the mother’s interest is in his personal life. Her question shows her concerned of him as a son, but his mind bends on his career. He is now living in a world that his mother knows little about, and he is no longer as dependent on her as he was when he was a child. The mother feels some sadness because the conversation once again reminds her of the fact that her son has left her nest and now is flying on his own wings.)
(2) she had had the ancient piano tuned… had been reading books on China… and was going to dig it (phlox) all up and try iris (in the garden)…
(She has been trying to find things to do, possibly to kill boredom and loneliness.)
(3) He came every night or two after that, and she lay in bed in happy anticipation, listening for the creak of the swing.
(She waits, lying in bed, for the happy time with eagerness. So the meeting with her son in dream highlights the problem in her old age living with a reticent and inactive husband. It is her only moment of great joy – remembering the life of the past.)
(4) … she sat and watched as he walked down the little back lane that had taken him to school, and off to college, and off to a job, and finally off to be married…
(It is the boy’s growing-up process: leaving home, going to school, to college, to working unit and establishing his own family. The scenes pass before her mind’s eye quickly and there is a tragic sense reminding her that her son, as a child, has left her forever.)
Unit Seven
James Joyce: Araby
2) Opinions of Understanding:
(1) Which adjective is NOT proper to describe the style of the short story?
A. Dreamlike.
B. Poetic.
C. Matter-of-fact.
D. Sentimental.
(2) Why does the boy want to go to the bazaar, or the “Araby,” so desperately?
A. He wants to find some romantic fulfillment.
B. He wants to see exotic and exciting things.
C. He wants to have new experience.
D. He wants to “do something” for the girl.
(3) What do you think can be the theme of the story?
A. Real beauty is illusory and unattainable.
B. Growing up leads to loss of youthful idealism.
C. True love can not survive the cruel world.
D. Disillusion always accompanies romanticism.
(4) Which is probably true about Mangan’s sister?
A. She is a young girl of rare beauty.
B. She has all the elegance because of her family and religious background.
C. She is angel-like both in appearance and in nature.
D. She is an ordinary girl but the narrator places his romantic fantasies on her.
(5) The short story ends with the sentence: “Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger.” What possibly has the boy suddenly realized?
A. He has been behaving foolishly.
B. The girl does not deserve so much of his affection.
C. His uncle and aunt are heartless people.
D. True beauty can not be obtained at any cost.
2) Questions for Discussion:
(Suggested answers for reference)
(1) Why does the boy isolate himself in his room reading books and why does he retreat into dreams of idealized love? Find the contrasts between his real life and the imagined perfection.
The boy’s real life:
1. The living place was musty, cold, damp and gloomy.
2. The neighborhood was described as being “the most hostile to romance.” (line 50)
3. The rigid religious life seems to deprive a boy’s pursuit for romance, so the protagonist resorted to imagination as his escape from the day-to-day existence.
3. The protagonist’s Uncle and Aunt seem accustomed to living the kind of monotonous life.
The boys imagined beauty and romance:
1. “I had never spoken to her, except for a few casual words, and yet her name was like a summons to all my foolish blood.” (lines 48-49)
2. “Her image accompanied me even in places the most hostile to romance.” (line 50)
3. “I did not know whether I would ever speak to her or not or, if I spoke to her, how I could tell her of my confused adoration. But my body was like a harp and her words and gestures were like fingers running upon the wires.” (61-63)
4. The girl was even nameless, being called Mangan’s sister, but she appears like an angel on earth.
(2) Why is the journey to the bazaar so important to the boy? Has he taken the matter over-seriously?
(The journey and the buying of something is not important in itself. What is important is the boy’s promise to Mangan’s sister. The boy regarded it as a sacred mission that he had to fulfill. It became a token of his youthful love and everything that was beautiful and ideal.)
3) Explanation and Interpretation:
(Identify what literary device the writer uses in each (or each pair) of the following expressions)
(1) The other houses of the street, conscious of decent lives within them, gazed at one another with brown imperturbable faces. (personification)
(2) a. The light … lit up the hand upon the railing.
b. the lamplight (shone)… at the hand upon the railings… (symbol)
(3) a. I kept her brown figure always in my eye…
b. seeing nothing but the brown-clad figure cast by my imagination.. (symbol)
(4) When we met in the street the houses had grown sombre. (personification)
(5) Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity. (epiphany)
4) Suggested Homework:
In the short conversation with Mangan’s sister, the boy promised to get something for her from the bazaar. The journey made him realize something, but a promise was still a promise though the girl might not take it seriously. Suppose you were the boy and wanted to explain and apologize for not being able to fulfill your promise. Now write a few lines on a piece of paper and try to slip the letter into her hand next time you meet her.
For reference only:
“I think I have to humbly apologize to you for being unable to do something that I have promised. I’m sure you remember that in our last short conversation I told you I would go to the Bazaar for you and buy you a gift. However, it was unfortunate that circumstances prevented me from doing this little service for you. Please don’t feel disappointed. I seriously promise I will get you something somehow, even just to prove that I am sincere. I’ll keep that promise, and you, in the heart of mine.
Truly yours”
Unit Eight
Frank Stockton: The Lady or the Tiger?
1) Questions for Discussion:
(Suggested answers for reference)
(1) Why didn’t the king approve of the love between his daughter and the young man of his court?
(Because of the difference in social positions, one is the princess, the other is a lowly courtier. The king would not care whether there was true love between them.)
(2) Why did the princess love the courtier so much? Can you briefly describe what sort of person she was?
(The princess was a “fervent and imperious” person, like her father. She also inherited from her father the semi-barbaric nature and had hot blood that made her care little about the consequences. What is more, the courtier was “handsome and brave to a degree unsurpassed in all this kingdom” and the princess was well-satisfied with the young man in spite of his station.)
(3) Why did the King believe the trial of the arena was a good way of solving some of the problems in his kingdom?
(In two respects. 1. Generally, because of the suspense, the masses would be entertained and pleased. 2. “The thinking part of the community could bring no charge of unfairness against this plan.” (lines 86-87) In this particular case with the courtier, “No matter how the affair turned out, the youth would be disposed of, and the king would take an aesthetic pleasure in watching the course of events.”(line 116-117)
(4) In a sense, it was not the young man but the princess who was actually under the trial -- in the court of conscience. Did she save her love by pointing to the door leading to the lady-in-waiting, or did she prefer to see her lover die rather than see him marry someone she hated?
(This is a question that has not “right” or “wrong” answers. Possibly we should say, it is not even the princess who was actually put under the trial, it is the reader who is making a decision according to his / her inclination.)
2) Explanation and Interpretation:
(Explain the implied meaning of the following sentences, and point out their significance in the context of the story.)
(1) He was greatly given to self-communing, and, when he and himself agreed upon anything, the thing was done. (line 7)
(That means the king was a despot. He discussed only with himself, and there was not law to prevent him from anything that he decided to do.)
(2) the accused person was instantly punished if he found himself guilty…(line 78)
(By the king’s logic, it was the accused who opened the door by his own hand and led to the consequences. So the accused himself “decided” whether he is guilty or not.)
(3) …she loved him (the young courtier) with an ardor that had enough of barbarism in it to make it exceedingly warm and strong. (line 97)
(The love relation was made warm and strong by the very nature that the princess had inherited from her semi-barbaric father.)
(4) Often had she seen, or imagined that she had seen, this fair creature throwing glances of admiration upon the person of her lover, and sometimes she thought these glances were perceived, and even returned. (line 151)
(It indicates that the princess was not really sure that the fair maid had shown her love or admiration for the courtier. The love relation between them might be imagined, out of the princess’ jealousy towards the pretty maid.)
Suggested Homework:
Write a story summary in 200 words. The summary may begin like this:
For reference only:
(Frank Stockton’s “The Lady, or the Tiger?” is a story about a man sentenced to an unusual punishment for having a romance with the king"s beloved daughter. Taken to the public arena, he was faced with two doors, behind one of which stood a fierce tiger, and behind the other a fair lady. The king was not sure whether a person so low in station could aspire to one so far above him, but anyway put the young man in the arena. He was either to be eaten by the beast or married to the young lady. Somehow the princess had acquired the secret hidden even from the king himself and knew behind which of the two doors stood a woman that she hated intensely out of jealousy. On the day of the trial, the arena was filled with people with the king and the princess sitting opposite the twin doors. The young man bowed to the king and threw a glance at the princess. She made a quick movement toward the right. Without hesitation, he went directly to the door on the right. Now the problem remains: what was behind the close the door on the right, the lady or the tiger? )
Keys to Unit Nine
Frank O’Connor: Guests of the Nation
By Frank O’Connor
1) Opinions of Understanding:
(1) The argument over the “Next World” reveals that Hawkins and Noble _______.
A. were bitter about each other
B. were close in their relationship
C. shared no common language
D. had deep-rooted prejudices
(2) The old woman of the cottage where the soldiers stayed in is portrayed as ______.
A. an ignorant country woman
B. a patriotic member of the nation
C. being rude to both the English and the Irish soldiers
D. having true human sentiments and emotions
(3) Why did Belcher, the man of few words, suddenly become so talkative in the last section? Explain your choice.
A. He wanted to cover up his fear.
B. He wanted to inform the Irish lads about his personal life.
C. His dream of a normal family life somehow expressed itself.
D. He thought the Irish might let him go after hearing his past misfortunes.
(4) Which of the following conflicts is NOT implied as the theme of the short story?
A. The conflict between friendship and war reality.
B. The conflict between forgiveness and hatred.
C. The conflict between common sense and war logic.
D. The conflict between sense of guilt and sense of duty.
(5) According to your understanding, which of the following descriptions best suits the character Donovan?
A. His was a cold-blooded killer.
B. He was a trained and hardened military officer.
C. He was an unthinking and unsympathetic servant of war.
D. He was also a victim of war.
2) Questions for Discussion:
(Suggested answers for reference)
(1) Why do you think the author chose “Guests of the Nation” as the title of the short story?
(Obviously, “guests” in the title refers to the two English prisoners, and “the nation” refers to Ireland. Unconsciously, the Irish guards referred to them as “our guests” rather than “enemy soldiers.” The four of them could play cards together, or argue on some topics and generally enjoyed the time they spent together. It’s ironic that the “guests” were finally shot for doing nothing wrong on their part.)
(2) What were the reasons for killing Hawkins and Belcher? Were they good reasons? The answer can be both yes and no. Please support your argument.
Most of the “reasons” justifying the killing of Hawkins and Belcher are given by the petty office Donovan:
1. "The enemy have prisoners belonging to us"" he says, "and now they"re talking of shooting them. If they shoot our prisoners, we"ll shoot theirs." (lines 125-126)
2. "There were four of our fellows shot in Cork this morning and now you"re to be shot as a reprisal." (lines 219-220)
3. "I never said I had anything against you. But why did your people take out four of our prisoners and shoot them in cold blood?" (lines 236-237)
4. "…because you"d know you"d be shot for not doing it." (line 269)
5. "You understand that we"re only doing our duty?" (line 243)
One the one hand, these are good reasons because the war demands such actions: soldiers should obey orders, to fulfill their duty, or they would be shot for disobeying orders; violence should be repaid by violence as a reprisal. But on the other hand, the war logic is against the common sense and against human nature – when people could enjoy being together, why should they kill each other?
(3) How do you understand J. Donovan?
(On the surface, he seemed cold-blooded, and personally executed the two Englishmen, but if we read very careful between the lines, we would find that he, as a petty office, had to do something unpleasant in his position. He was also a victim, and had to suppress his own true feelings before his subordinates. He actually had sympathy with the captured soldiers, but was not understood by his men. We should notice that the narrator is, to some degree, a naïve narrator.)
(4) What characteristics of realism can we find in the short story?
1. It is the details that make up the most of the short story.
2. The language used is common speech of common soldiers.
3. The author tries to be faithful to the real life as he understands it.
4. The five main characters are “small potatoes,” victims of the forces that they have no control of.
5. There is a sharp criticism of the absurdity of the war.
3) Explanation and interpretation:
(Explain the implied meaning of the following sentences, and point out their significance in the context of the story.)
(1) It wasn"t the hanging round that was a trouble to me at all by this time. I had worse things to worry about.
(“Worse things” refer to the two Irish guards’ sincere concern and deep worry about the ill fate that might befall the two English prisoners of war.)
(2) I rose from the table and caught him before he reached the door. "What do you want?" I asked.
(Hearing the footsteps, the narrator quickly went to the door to stop Donovan from coming in. He knew the officer might be bearing the bad news, and blocked the entrance. Unconsciously, he stood on the side of the English, and acted as if he were their protector.)
(3) …she didn"t stop advising them until Jeremiah Donovan lost his temper and turned on her. He had a nasty temper, I noticed.
(Donovan had a bad temper that day. Why? The bad temper might be caused by the nasty job ahead of executing the two English youngsters. This probably had very much saddened him.)
(4) Belcher sounded as though whatever unforeseen thing he"d always been waiting for had come at last.
(Belcher was a person with few words, but he was observing and thinking all the time. He seemed to know and anticipate that something bad might happen to them.)
(5) Noble, just as if he couldn"t bear any more of it, raised his fist at Donovan, and in a flash Donovan raised his gun and fired.
(Raising his fist is a signal. The unspoken words might sound like this: “Why don’t you shoot?!” Noble noticed that Donovan was suffering from intense mental pain by talking and talking, and he wanted Donovan to end that pain immediately.)
(6) "What did ye do with them?" she asked in a whisper, and Noble started so that the match went out in his hand.
(The old lady had only whispered the question, but it so frightened noble that the match went out in his hand. Noble must have had a terrible sense of guilt and felt as if he himself had killed his “guests” and had done something enormously wrong. )
Unit Ten
Jack London: The Law of Life
2) Opinions of Understanding:
(1) Old Koskoosh’s son, the tribe chief, came to say good-bye, and briefly explained the situation the tribe was facing. He mentioned some factors that forced him to abandon the sickly old man. Which factor was NOT mentioned?
A. The tribesmen had to travel long and fast.
B. The tribesmen had to start hunting for meat immediately.
C. Some tribesmen showed unwillingness to take the old man.
D. The loads on the dog sleds were already heavy.
(2) In his recollections of the past, old Koskoosh recalled the episode of a moose being hunted by wolves. What do you think is the reason that this episode was recalled?
A. Because it was the most exciting experience in his youth.
B. Because it was a reflection of his present situation.
C. Because it was symbolically a vital step into adulthood.
D. Because it was an example of collective strength.
(3) Which of the following about old Koskoosh is true?
A. He never showed any panic.
B. He hoped his son would come back to get him.
C. Though old, he was sharp in all senses of life.
D. He questioned the fairness of the law of nature.
(4) Finally, old Koskoosh said to himself, “Was it not the law of life?” What do these words reveal to us?
A. He believed that life had a cycle.
B. He finally realized what death meant.
C. He failed to understand his son’s decision.
D. He was prepared to accept the fate.
(5) We may classify this short story as belonging to the school of literary Naturalism. All the following arguments support the classification except one. Which is it?
A. Because the writer portrays human beings as victims of some larger forces.
B. Because the writer makes no moral judgment on the behaviors of the characters.
C. Because the writer places the story in a remote land and tells an exotic tale.
D. Because the writer emphasizes the domination of the environment.
2) Questions for Discussion:
(Suggested answers for reference)
(1) What do you think of the Indian tradition of abandoning their sickly elders? Was it the writer’s intention to reveal and condemn the inhumane and inhuman practice?
(From our perspective, such practice is of course cruel and inhuman, but the writer’s central concern is to provide an illustration and to explain one idea: that human beings are “determined” by “the law of nature” – the larger forces of the universe as well as their own biological nature. The idea expressed in the short story is typical in naturalistic literature.)
(2) What has the setting to do with the theme of the short story?
(Naturalist writers have special preference to certain settings that can provide “laboratory conditions,” so that the stories can convey their understanding of the relationship of man and the natural or social forces. The arctic region within which the story of “The Law of Life” occurs, intensifies the human struggle with the Nature, and thus is ideal in bringing out the basic conception of Naturalism in literature.)
(3) What is “the law of life”? Can you underline some of the words in the story that explain what the “law” is?
The ideas about “the law of life” is mostly expressed in the reflection of Old Koskoosh:
1. He did not complain. It was the way of life, and it was just. He had been born close to the earth, close to the earth had he lived, and the law thereof was not new to him. It was the law of all flesh. Nature was not kindly to the flesh. She had no concern for that concrete thing called the individual. Her interest lay in the species, the race. (lines 68-72)
2. The rise of the sap, the bursting greenness of the willow bud, the fall of the yellow leaf—in this alone was told the whole history. But one task did nature set the individual. Did he not perform it, he died. Did he perform it, it was all the same, he died. Nature did not care… . (lines 73-78)
3. Therefore it was true that the tribe lived, that it stood for the obedience of all its members, way down into the forgotten past, whose very resting places were unremembered. They did not count; they were episodes. They had passed away like clouds from a summer sky. He also was an episode, and would pass away. (lines 80-83)
4. Nature did not care. To life she set one task, gave one law. To perpetuate was the task of life, its law was death. (lines 83-85)
5. (Determined to give up his cling to life) Koskoosh dropped his head wearily upon his knees. What did it matter after all? Was it not the law of life? (202-203)
(4) On what basis can we categorize this short story as a piece of Naturalistic writing?
1. The setting highlights the conflict between man and Nature.
2. The natural force seems to be overwhelming while the human efforts are rather futile. Man can only adapt to Nature rather than change it.
3. The story reveals the pessimistic attitude on the part of the writer.
4. There is a prevailing sense of determinism and amoralism.
3) Explanation and interpretation:
(Explain the implied meaning of the following sentences, and point out their significance in the context of the story.)
(1) He listened, who would listen no more.
(Old Koskoosh knew what was going to happen. While he was still alive and listening, he would soon die and “listen no more.”)
(2) Then his hand crept out in haste to the wood. It alone stood betwixt him and the eternity which yawned upon him.
(The word “eternity” here means death. The old man’s life defended on this small pile of wood that could supply warmth and keep the wolves away. When the wood burnt out, Death, with its mouth open, would quickly swallow him.)
(3) Nature was not kindly to the flesh. She had no concern for that concrete thing called the individual. Her interest lay in the species, the race.
(According to Darwin’s theory of survival of the fittest, the living beings have adapted to the environment in the long history of evolution. In that long process, according to the natural law, only the survival of the group, of the species, has significance. Nature does not care for individual survival. Only the group that fits the environment has a change to continue.)
(4) For a while he listened to the silence. Perhaps the heart of his son might soften…
(The old man’s reflection reveals that he, alike any individual, wished to be given a chance to live. Even though he understood the law of nature and had a brave heart in facing death, he still had a natural and humanly yearning for life.)
Keys to Unit Eleven
James Thurber: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
1) Opinions of Understanding:
(1) Which of the following adjectives best describes Walter Mitty’s real life?
A. Colorful. B. Uneventful. C. Noble. D. Exciting.
(2) Which of the following is an unsuitable adjective to describe Walter Mitty’s wife?
A. Fussy. B. Bossy. C. Considerate. D. Unsympathetic.
(3) What sort of “secret life” of Walter Mitty does the “hospital operation room” episode reveal to us?
A. He desires for a life of romance and excitement.
B. He wishes to make glorious contributions to the nation.
C. He yearns to be an important and respected person.
D. He would rather be a heroic victim than a nobody.
(4) What sort of “the secret life” of Walter Mitty do the “courtroom trial” and the “execution by a firing squad” episodes reveal to us?
A. He desires for a life of romance and excitement.
B. He wishes to make glorious contributions to the nation.
C. He yearns to be an important and respected man.
D. He would rather be a heroic victim than nobody.
(5) What is the author’s attitude to the character he portrays?
A. Critical. B. Mocking. C. Sympathetic. D. Scornful.
2) Questions for discussion:
(Suggested answers for reference)
(1) How are reality and fantasy associated in this story? Give examples.
(Usually it is in this way: something in the real life, for example, doing, seeing or hearing something, would triggers off some fantasy. Driving a car leading to the fantasy of piloting a hydroplane; putting on gloves and hearing the name of Dr. Renshaw leading to the operation episode; hearing a newspaper boy shouting something about the trial leading to the courtroom episode; sitting in the lobby and reading news about Second World War leading to the bomber-pilot episode and standing against the wall of a drug-store leading to the episode of facing a firing squad.)
(2) Does Mitty appear to be a comic, grotesque, and ridiculous person?
(It is not the author’s intention to show the ridiculous side of Mitty’s life. Through creation of such a character, the writer intends to reveal the unfortunate life of some city dwellers. Their lives, like that of Mitty’s, are suffocated by the monotony and triviality of the modern middle-class life. The daydreams seem to be the only escape from the meaning less repetition of the day-to-day existence.)
(3) Find out what is in common in the five pieces of Mitty’s daydream: the hydroplane, the medical operation, the trial, the bomber and the execution. What do these fantasies reveal to you about Walter Mitty?
(These pieces of daydreams have one thing in common in which life is more adventurous, more heroic or more exciting than the actual existence, and in which he is a brave, respected or even a tragic central figure, rather than a nobody dominated by an bossy wife.)
(4) How do you like the ending of the story? What is your interpretation?
(There is a tragic sense in the last episode – the man being executed. This may reveal the inner wish of the protagonist that he would rather be a heroic victim than a person of no significance. And also, there is a hint of tragedy in his life.)
(5) Compare Walter Mitty with Cervantes’ Don Quixode (唐·吉诃德). What similarities and differences do you find in the two characters?
(Mitty’s daydreams embody the clichés of adventure or war fiction and movies. While Cervantes’ Don Quixode is also influenced by the popular romance of his time and ridiculously acts out his fantasies, Mitty does not even have courage to do that and seems satisfied with dreaming about a sort of heroism as an escape from the imprisonment in triviality. In this sense, he is a modern Don Quixode)
3) Explanation and interpretation:
(Explain the implied meaning of the following sentences, and point out their significance in the context of the story.)
(1) He looked at his wife, in the seat beside him, with shocked astonishment. She seemed grossly unfamiliar, like a strange woman who had yelled at him in a crowd.
(Mitty was lost in his daydream, and was suddenly awakened from it and the world around him seemed rather unfamiliar.)
(2) "You"re tensed up again," said Mrs. Mitty. "It"s one of your days. I wish you"d let Dr. Renshaw look you over."
(“Tensed up” refers to Mitty’s state of fantasizing. His wife’s words indicate that Mitty had a habit of falling into daydreams and had once consulted a doctor for this problem.)
(3) He put them (gloves) on, but after she had turned and gone into the building and he had driven on to a red light, he took them off again.
(He obeyed to his wife humbly, but when she did not see him, he book them off as and act of rebellion.)
(4) "Back it up, Mac! Look out for that Buick!" Walter Mitty jammed on the brakes. "Wrong lane, Mac," said the parking-lot attendant.
(He didn’t seem to be able to do anything well and even a parking lot attendant could order and criticize him. This adds to his sense of depression, of being nobody.)
(5) Then, with that faint, fleeting smile playing about his lips, he faced the firing squad; erect and motionless, proud and disdainful…
(The last episode of the fantasy reveals the mixed feelings of being a victim and being a hero. The end seems inevitably tragic but to Mitty’s imagination, maintaining a sort of heroism is possible. Mitty felt that he was beaten down by life, but in his heart he still kept high aspirations.)
Suggested Homework
Allow Walter Mitty to continue his fantasy once he arrived home from the shopping trip with his wife. Using your imagination and write a paragraph that may begin like this:
He parked his car. In a few quick steps, he rushed to the door and pushed it open with determined suddenness. “Hands up, gentlemen!” he said.
For reference only:
He parked his car. In a few quick steps, he rushed to the door and pushed it open with determined suddenness. “Hands up, gentlemen! ” he said, pointing his gun at the three men sitting there. “FBI. We have been following you for quite some time.” The men in the room were totally unprepared. Two raised their hands over their heads, one hesitated and quietly moved his right hand to a pistol on the coffee table. He aims his gun at that man, “push that pistol to me, slowly. That’s right. It’s no use trying to do anything funny, let me warn you.”
“Why do walk so quickly and push open the door like this? Go back to get the things in the car!” his wife said angrily.
Keys to Unit Twelve
Donald Barthelme: The Glass Mountain
1) Questions for Discussion:
(Suggested answers for reference)
(1) Do you find anything unusual about the structure of the story? Why do you think the writer chooses this manner of narration?
(Firstly, the title sounds strange – there is no “glass mountain” in the real world. Secondly, the short story is made up of 100 sentences and each sentence is numbered. The title, if one is familiar with European fairy tales, reminds one of a popular story. The structure is very unusual, subverting the established form of fiction writing and creating a false perfection with the story beginning at Sentence One and ending at Sentence One Hundred. The author seems to being mocking at the literary convention by inventing a form that looks grotesque. )
(2) What sort of person is the narrator, the first-person “I” who tries to climb the glass mountain?
(Judging from what goes on in his mind, we find that the climber might be an intellectual, or a writer, as he is familiar with fairy tales and talks about the definition of “symbol” etc. So, the climbing can be seen not as actual, but as imagined and psychological. He is very much dissatisfied with the reality down “at the bottom of the mountain,” but the fanciful “golden castle” is unattainable. He finds himself stranded in the middle. He represents the spiritual plight of the “Modern Man.”)
(3) There are a lot of symbols in the story such as the glass mountain, the golden castle, the dead knights, the enchanted princess, the climber and the act of climbing. Can you try to explain their symbolic meanings?
(The glass mountain: the modern city life, or the impossible process of achieving meaning
The golden castle: an ideal goal that is nothing but illusion
The fallen knights: the dead or dying tradition
The enchanted princess: aim or reward of hard endeavor
The climber: a modern man in predicament, trying to achieve self-realization
The climbing: the difficult and impossible process toward the goal
The street scene: the real city life of confusion and chaos
The climbing irons and plumber’s friends: the ridiculous means for the “grand” task
The “acquaintances”: the uncultured, unmannered generation of people. )
(4) How do you interpret the ending of the story?
(Through imagination, with the eagle carrying him to up to the palace, the climber finally reaches the castle. But with his “golden touch,” the symbol changes into a princess, like cliché in old stories, and the climber is disappointed and disillusioned. He seems to have realized that the whole thing is nothing but fairy-tale fantasy.)
(5) The whole story appears to be very absurd. What sort of reality can you see behind the apparent absurdity?
(Despite the absurdity in the form and contents, we can find in the short story a lot of things that are related to the reality in the West, as the writer sees it:
1. the narrator/climber’s sense of frustration and alienation
2. the life of confusion and disorder in the city
3. people’s inability to achieve a state of glory
4. the loss of tradition
5. the replacement of culture by hooliganism.
6. the loss of aim and meaning in life with only imagined idealism which one knows is unrealizable.)
2) Explanation and Interpretation:
(Explain the implied meaning of the following sentences, and point out their significance in the context of the story.)
(1) 18. The mountain towers over that part of Eighth Avenue like some splendid, immense office building.
(“Eighth Avenue” suggests the location is a city, possibly New York, and the glass mountain is a glass-surfaced modern skyscraper. It indeed is an office building.)
(2) 78. My acquaintances were debating the question, which of them would get my apartment?
(They were certain that the climber “I” would inevitably fall and die in the end, like all the “knights.”)
(3) 80. “At the same moment a door opened, and he saw a courtyard filled with flowers and trees, and there, the beautiful enchanted princess.” (The Yellow Fairy Book)
96. At the same moment a door opened, and I saw a courtyard filled with flowers and trees, and there, the beautiful enchanted symbol.
(In the popular fairy tale, the ultimate aim of the hero is to rescue the “princess,” but the modern climber found it to be no more than a mere “symbol,” – something abstract, remote, and devoid of solid meaning.)
(4) 97. I approached the symbol, with its layers of meaning, but when I touched it, it changed into only a beautiful princess.
(A symbol can be interpreted differently – with its layers of meaning, but the popular culture points to only one direction of interpretation. The symbol of happy ending, as in numerous tales, is represented by the union of the brave and the beautiful: “the youth married the princess and lived happily ever after.” The climber seems to dislike this kind of wishful fantasy.)
(5) 98. I threw the beautiful princess headfirst down the mountain to my acquaintances.
(Obviously, this is an act of great disappointment. The climber seems to be totally disillusioned at the outcome, having realized the impossibility and futility of such an attempt. He subverts his own purpose of trying to achieve something heroic or glorious.)
